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12/07/24
162
U.S. Congressman Introduces Resolution to Release Binance Executive Imprisoned in Nigeria
On July 10, Congressman Rich McCormick introduced H.Res.1348 in the United House of Representatives, urging the Nigerian government to immediately release Tigran Gambaryan from imprisonment.
The resolution text noted that Gambaryan was charged with several crimes, including tax evasion and money laundering, along with Binance, on April 5 and was subsequently transferred to the notorious Kuje Prison.
“The Government of Nigeria is wrongfully detaining Tigran Gambaryan, in accordance with the criteria described in section 302(a) of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 1741(a)), in order to extort Binance,” reads the text.
The resolution urges the U.S. government to formally declare Gambaryan as a “U.S. citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government” in line with the hostage Act. Likewise, it urges the Nigerian government to provide full consular access to him, unrestricted medical access, and “constitutionally afforded due process rights and universally recognized human rights.”
About a week ago, local media reports revealed that Judge Nwite asked the Nigerian Correctional Services to produce medical reports for Gambaryan, warning that non-compliance would attract consequences.
Nigeria’s minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, previously claimed that Gambaryan was having the utmost fair treatment, with the protection of his legal and human rights throughout the judicial proceedings.
Several members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to President Joe Biden and other government officials to bring Gambaryan home. Likewise, several former federal prosecutors and federal agents sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urgently requesting Gambaryan’s release.
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