KEY POINTS U.S. President Joe Biden called Nigerian President Bola Tinubu Tuesday to thank him for the "humanitarian" release of Binance's chief compliance officer Tigran Gambaryan, who had been detained in the country since late February over the cryptocurrency exchange giant's alleged violations of Nigerian law.
Since Gambaryan has yet to make an official statement about his release, questions have emerged about what role the White House played in getting the former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent out of Nigerian custody. Earlier, I spoke with President Tinubu of Nigeria to express my condolences on the floods impacting his country and my appreciation for his leadership in securing the humanitarian release of Tigran Gambaryan. We also spoke about the value of our partnership.
pic.twitter.com/tsLGG0QLnf Gambaryan's Arduous Road to Freedom The compliance expert traveled to Nigeria in February alongside Binance's regional manager for Africa Nadeem Anjarwalla, to discuss the crypto exchange with Nigerian leaders.
The two were taken into custody, with Gambaryan's family revealing that the detention was unlawful. Anjarwalla escaped custody weeks later and reportedly fled to Kenya where he was reportedly arrested in April. Details about his extradition case are scant.
Gambaryan, on the other hand, remained in detention since February and suffered multiple health issues, including a severe throat infection. In June, Representatives French Hill, R-Ark., and Chriss Houlahan, D-P.