In a recent blog post, Chief Executive Officer of Binance, Richard Teng, the global cryptocurrency exchange platform, has expressed profound concern over the unjust detention of one of its mid-level employees by the Nigerian government.
The detained employee, Tigran Gambaryan, holds no decision-making powers within the company.
Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent, was hired by Binance in 2021 to help develop and implement stronger compliance controls, particularly focusing on law enforcement cooperation and combating financial crime.
Under his leadership, Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance team has played a significant role in assisting global law enforcement agencies in freezing and seizing over $2.2 billion worth of assets.
The ordeal began after Tigran and another Binance representative, Nadeem Anjarwalla, attended a scheduled meeting with Nigerian government representatives in Abuja on February 26, 2024.
Following the meeting, they were escorted to a secure compound, had their mobile phones confiscated, and were informed they were not free to leave. Both Tigran, a U.S. citizen, and Nadeem, a British-Kenyan citizen, were subsequently detained, prompting alerts to the UK High Commission and the US Embassy.
Teng emphasized that Tigran did not attend the meeting as a decision-maker or negotiator but as a functional expert in financial crime and policy discussions.
Despite Binance’s willingness to cooperate with Nigerian authorities and meet their demands, including resolving potential tax liabilities, the Nigerian government has refused to release Tigran.
