Detained Binance exec faces further delay in bail request as health falters

Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance executive detained in Nigeria since February, has requested bail for medical care. However, the counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opposed it, claiming Gambaryan isn't ill and has refused treatment.

The court deferred judgment on the bail application until Oct. 9.

The details 

According to his representatives, Gambaryan appeared in court on Sept. 2 after securing permission to hear his case during the court's ongoing recess.

• He is reportedly suffering from a herniated disc and other ailments that have left him unable to walk.
• Despite this, Gambaryan was denied the use of a wheelchair and was instead forced to walk with crutches. 
• In a now-viral video on social media, Gambaryan is seen struggling to walk as he seeks assistance from a prison officer assigned to escort him.
• He is seen using crutches, loudly lamenting being forced to move without proper aid, while prison officials, reportedly instructed not to assist, look on.

Gambaryan’s lawyers requested bail for his medical treatment, but the EFCC's counsel opposed it, claiming that Gambaryan is not in poor health and has refused treatment while in prison.

• Gambaryan’s only just-released medical records, per his representatives, included a recommendation for immediate surgery and was missing an MRI scan. 
• His bail application is scheduled to resume hearing on September 4. 

Key quote 

• In the viral video on the social media platform, X, a visibly distressed Gambaryan is heard saying; 

“[The prison official] was told not to help me. These were the instructions of the government ... Why can’t I use a wheelchair? I am an innocent person ... and I can’t walk.” 

• Binance, commenting on the video, said:

“We are extremely distressed by the video of Tigran in court yesterday ... Nigeria does not need to keep Tigran in order for us to settle any alleged past issues. We continue to implore the government of Nigeria to let Tigran return home and let us continue in our engagements.”

Catch up quick

Tigran Gambaryan, a United States citizen, has been imprisoned in Nigeria since February amid a standoff between the Nigerian government and Binance.

• He was originally brought before a Nigerian court by the EFCC and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to face money laundering and tax evasion charges on behalf of Binance.
• The FIRS dropped its charges against Gambaryan after his representatives successfully argued that he should not be held accountable for Binance’s actions as he is merely a company representative.
• He remains detained to face money laundering charges, with Binance and the exchange’s British-Kenyan regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, also facing the same charges.

Worsening health

Gambaryan has been bedridden for months and collapsed in court once, yet he remains in prison, his representatives claim.

• Since July 26, his lawyers have only been allowed 15 minutes with him, and his consular representatives have been denied access.
• Binance, on its part, has said the Nigerian government is holding him on baseless charges.  
• It dismissed claims that it processed transactions worth $26 billion in the country in 2023 alone.  
• It also isolated itself from Nigeria’s currency woes which have not stopped since the exchange packed up its platform and left the country earlier in the year.