A total of 18 state attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, asked President Joe Biden in a letter Friday to declare Binance's compliance chief Tigran Gambariyan a hostage of the Nigerian government. Mr. Gambarian, a U.S. citizen, is also a former law enforcement officer who served as a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Mr. Gambarian has been detained in Nigeria since February 2024. The attorney general “expressed serious concerns about the health and welfare” of Mr. Gambarian, who was being “unlawfully” detained under “potentially life-threatening conditions,” the letter said.
Designating Gambarian a hostage under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Act would free up resources that could expedite his recovery process. Gambarian's return will be overseen by the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which assesses and tracks illegal detentions of American citizens.
The attorney general also believes that declaring Gambarian a hostage would “place further diplomatic pressure to ensure his immediate release.”
The attorney general's main concern is Gambarian's deteriorating health. According to the letter, Gambarian's life is in “imminent danger.” While incarcerated, Gambarian was denied treatment for malaria and pneumonia and was “immobilized by an untreated herniated disc.”
The Attorney General believes that without swift action, Mr Gambarian's detention could turn into a “tragedy”.
arrested for no reason
The attorney general alleges that Gambarian was unlawfully detained without justifiable reason in order to be used as leverage in a dispute between the Nigerian government and Binance. The letter said:
“This blatant abuse of power is nothing short of extortion and must be addressed at the fullest extent of Washington's influence, especially given America's financial and political support for Nigeria's current political system. ”
Nigerian authorities invited Gambarian earlier this year to address allegations about Binance's involvement in manipulating the Nigerian currency. However, upon arrival, Gambarian was arrested without cause, his passport confiscated, and detained without formal charges.
The attorney general accused Nigerian authorities of violating Gambarian's fundamental rights, including denying him access to medical and nutritional needs. Gambariyan spent several months in Kuje prison, known to house violent extremists from Boko Haram and ISIS.
The letter arrived on the same day that the Nigerian government failed to present Mr. Gambarian at a scheduled trial. The press release said the Nigerian government did not want to tell the judge where Gambarian was, other than to say he was in custody.
mentioned in this article
