A judge in Abuja has denied bail for Binance VP of Global Intelligence and Investigations Tigran Gambaryan.
The decision was made despite clearly proven medical grounds and is contrary to Nigerian judicial practice, the press release said.
US citizen Gambaryan and the exchange's director for West and East Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were detained after meeting with the country's authorities in February. Together with Binance Holdings Limited, they were accused of tax evasion and money laundering. The company and its top managers deny any guilt.
In late March, Anjarwalla secretly flew from Nigeria to Kenya. However, authorities tracked him down there and negotiated his extradition.
In May, the court denied Gambaryan bail.
The conditions in the local prison have caused his physical health to deteriorate sharply. The top manager suffers from a herniated disc, as well as bouts of pneumonia, malaria and tonsillitis.
In June, US Representatives French Hill and Chrissy Houlahan visited Gambaryan in prison and said he was not receiving adequate medical care. Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris denied their claims.
In September, the top manager appeared at the resumed hearing of the case on crutches, having been denied a wheelchair.
His wife, Yuki Gambaryan, called on the US State Department to intervene, saying the government was the last hope for her husband's return to his homeland.
Commenting on the latest refusal to release her husband on bail, she noted that several doctors, including the prison doctor, clearly stated that Tigran was unable to provide the necessary assistance in prison. In the meantime, he has lost the ability to move without assistance, and the consequences for his health may become irreversible.
“We all know that Tigran has never made decisions at Binance and that he is completely innocent, but I am not surprised by this refusal,” Gambryan’s wife said.
