Congressman French Hill (R-AR) has expressed concern over the detention of Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent and current Binance employee, by the Nigerian government. Hill stated that Gambaryan is being "wrongfully detained" and that his health is deteriorating. Hill shared his statement in a June 20 post on X.
"Yesterday, @RepHoulahan and I visited with US citizen Tigran Gambaryan in Kuje Prison in Nigeria," said Hill, U.S. representative for Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District (R). "We found him suffering from the conditions there, as he has malaria and double pneumonia, and he reports that he has lost significant weight. Even worse, he's being denied access to adequate medical attention. Although I am pleased that Nigeria dropped tax evasion charges against Tigran on 6/14, it's my view that he's being wrongfully detained on charges related to money laundering."
According to Hill, Gambaryan served for ten years as a special agent in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), where he "devoted his professional life to fighting money laundering and tax evasion." Additionally, through Gambaryan's role with Binance, he "was instrumental in criminal investigations and compliance in cooperation with Nigerian authorities." Hill called for Gambaryan to be granted immediate humanitarian release and for the remaining charge against him to be dropped.
Hill was one of sixteen members of Congress who wrote a letter on June 4 calling on President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens to classify Gambaryan as a "U.S. Citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign government" and escalate his case to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The lawmakers said Gambaryan's detention "has been marked by excessive and harsh treatment." They emphasized that "the charges against Mr. Gambaryan are baseless and constitute a coercion tactic by the Nigerian government to extort his employer, Binance." Other signees included Rep. Rich McCormick, whose district encompasses Gambaryan's hometown of Suwanee, Georgia, and Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
McCormick said during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last week that Gambaryan's treatment in Nigeria has been "appalling," according to a video of the hearing. He asked for Gambaryan's case to be escalated to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. McCormick noted that the State Department's 2023 human rights report on Nigeria acknowledged corruption and lack of judicial fairness in Nigeria.
The State Department's report cited "significant human rights issues" in Nigeria, including "credible reports of" instances of "harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious problems with the independence of the judiciary," and "serious government corruption."
Hill represents Arkansas's second congressional district. He is vice chair of the House Financial Services Committee and serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Inclusion. Additionally, he is a member of both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
