Richard Teng, the CEO of Binance, announced that the company is working tirelessly to free Tigran Gambaryan, the crypto exchange's head of financial crime compliance, who has been detained in Nigeria since February.
Gambaryan's health has been deteriorating while in custody, and Teng emphasized that Binance has repeatedly asked the Nigerian government to release him for necessary medical care.
"There's no need to hold our staff," Teng said on the sidelines at the Token2049 conference in Singapore on September 19.
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Gambaryan traveled to Nigeria in late February this year at the invitation of the Nigerian government to discuss Binance's compliance practices in the country. However, after two meetings, he was detained and has since been held at Kuje Prison, a facility known for its harsh conditions.
Since then, the executive has suffered from severe health issues, including pneumonia, malaria, and aches. In May, he even collapsed during a court session, and more recently, a video surfaced showing Gambaryan struggling to walk yet being denied a wheelchair.
Aron Akbiyikian, Tigran Gambaryan's friend and co-worker, said to KMPH Fox 26:
He hasn't been given a fair trial. He hasn't been personally accused of anything. At no point in time has he ever been accused of doing anything, only for the fact that the company he works for is being accused of crimes, so they're charging him for it.
Binance's internal team has reportedly been working on various approaches to secure Gambaryan's release, including urging the US government to officially classify Gambaryan as unlawfully detained and appealing to the Nigerian government on humanitarian grounds.
On September 18, his mother, Knarik Gambaryan, made an emotional plea, urging US officials to intervene:
He's innocent, that's all. But I can ask, and I'm begging everybody who can help my son. Just please bring my son home. That's all we need.
With each passing day, the urgency grows as Gambaryan's health continues to worsen. For Binance and Gambaryan's family, the focus remains on bringing him back home safely.
