Yuki Gambaryan has appealed to both the Nigerian and U.S. governments for assistance in securing the release of her husband, Tigran Gambaryan, a former U.S. federal agent and current Binance employee who is imprisoned in Nigeria. Yuki shared her statement in an August 26 YouTube video.
"For six months, my life, my living nightmare, has been filled with pleas: pleas to the Nigerian government, pleas to the U.S. government, pleas to the media, pleas to anyone who will listen," said Gambaryan. "I have been pleading for their mercy, for their understanding, for their humanity, and right now, I am pleading to you. I am asking for your help and for your advocacy. On behalf of my family, please help me bring my husband home."
According to Yuki, it has been six months since her husband was detained in Nigeria. She stated that since being imprisoned, Gambaryan's health has deteriorated significantly, suffering from malaria and pneumonia. Yuki expressed concern that her husband is not receiving appropriate medical treatment in Nigeria and may not recover fully. "He needs immediate medical treatments or risks permanent damage," she said.
Former U.S. federal agent Tigran Gambaryan (pictured) remains imprisoned in Nigeria as his wife pleads for his release
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Due to a herniated disc in his back, Gambaryan now struggles to walk, CoinDesk reported. His legal team indicated that he has needed surgery for his back since July and is being denied adequate medical care, including the use of a wheelchair. Earlier this week, a video surfaced showing Gambaryan limping into court. His attorneys filed a new bail application on medical grounds, but Nigerian officials have delayed the bail hearing until October 9.
Gambaryan, the head of financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange Binance, was invited to meet with Nigerian government officials in Abuja in February but was placed under house arrest without reason, according to CoinDesk. Nigerian authorities later charged him with financial crimes and moved him to Kuje prison. The Nigerian government accused Binance of devaluing the naira without evidence and requested nearly $10 billion for Gambaryan's release. "Tigran has been unjustly held for close to half a year now," said Binance CEO Richard Teng. "He needs medical treatment before his conditions become permanent."
Gambaryan joined Binance in September 2021 as the company's Vice President of Global Intelligence and Investigations, according to a post on Binance's website. He had previously spent ten years working as a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cyber Crimes Unit. In his role as a special agent, Gambaryan "investigated cases involving national security, terrorism financing, identity theft, distribution of child pornography, tax evasion, and bank secrecy act violations during his award-winning career," according to the post. He also "led several multi-billion dollar cyber investigations, including the Silk Road corruption investigations, BTC-e bitcoin exchange, and the Mt. Gox hack."
