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Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent, is one of two Binance executives being held without charge by Nigerian authorities. A local court approved the executives’ 14-day detention. Recent media reports suggest that Nigerian officials have requested Binance to disclose the identities and transaction histories of its top 100 users.
Detained Executives’ Families Demand Their Release
Two senior Binance executives, recently apprehended by Nigerian authorities, have spent more than two weeks in detention, according to confirmations from their respective families. Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent and head of Binance’s criminal investigations team, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, the crypto exchange’s Kenya-based regional manager, are reportedly being held at an Abuja “guesthouse.”
As previously reported by Bitcoin.com News, officials from the Nigerian national security adviser’s office apprehended the duo and seized their travel documents. The drastic step was taken after the executives reportedly refused to divulge the identities of Binance’s users in the West African country.
Following the duo’s capture, Binance issued a statement that seemed to support claims that Nigerian authorities were using Gambaryan and Anjarwalla’s detention to extort money from the crypto exchange. In its statement, Binance said it had “no intention of paying fines for personnel or services.”
Nigeria Asks Binance to Settle Outstanding Tax Liabilities
It remains unclear whether Binance’s refusal to hand over local user data or pay a large fine is the reason why Nigerian authorities are prolonging the duo’s detention. However, according to a report by Wired, the detention is beginning to affect the executives’ families. Yuki Gambaryan, the wife of the former federal agent, said:
There’s no definite answer for anything: how’s he’s doing, what’s going to happen to him, when he’s coming back. And not knowing that is killing me.
She also suggested that U.S. authorities need to intervene and negotiate for Gambaryan’s release, as he has served his country well.
Anjarwalla’s wife lamented her husband’s detention during Ramadan and expressed her wish “for Nadeem to be allowed to return home to us.”
Nigerian authorities have remained silent on the continued detention of the two men. However, recent media reports suggest that officials are now requesting transaction histories of Binance’s top 100 users over the past six months. They have also reportedly asked the cryptocurrency exchange to settle its outstanding tax liabilities.
A report from the Financial Times disclosed that a local court sanctioned the detention of Gambaryan and Anjarwalla. The court order authorized Nigerian authorities to detain the pair without charges for 14 days.
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