Nigeria has released on humanitarian grounds an American citizen who had been detained for the past eight months on charges of crypto money laundering.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake said, “Tigran Gambariyan, a U.S. citizen and former U.S. law enforcement officer, has been released by the Nigerian government on humanitarian grounds and is returning to the United States to receive necessary medical treatment. I’m happy,” he said. Sullivan said in a statement.
“I am grateful to my Nigerian colleagues and partners for the productive discussions that led to this step and look forward to working closely with them on the many areas of cooperation that are important to the bilateral partnership between our two countries. ”
Mr. Gambarian was the Chief Compliance Officer at Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Nigeria has accused Gambariyan and Binance of using the Binance platform to launder $35 million in money, which Gambariyan and Binance deny.
Earlier this week, the prosecution lawyer for the Nigeria Economic and Financial Crimes Commission told the Federal High Court of Nigeria that the government was closing the case against Gambariyan “taking into account several important international and diplomatic reasons”.
Gambarian’s health deteriorated in the months following his arrest. According to Reuters, his wife, Yuki, feared that his worsening condition could “lead to permanent damage and affect his ability to walk.”
Binance faces additional charges, including tax evasion and suspicion of operating without a license.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
