The Chief Executive Officer of Binance, Richard Teng, has disclosed that its detained executive, Tigran Gambaryan’s physical and mental conditions is rapidly deteriorating in detention.
Teng said Gambaryan is suffering from severe pain and is unable to walk due to a herniated disc in detention.
Marking Gambaryan’s six months in detention, Teng accused the Nigerian government of refusing to allow him access to adequate medical attention.
Gambaryan was detained on February 26, 2024, by the Nigerian government following allegations of money laundering.
The Nigerian government had accused Binance and its executives, Gambaryan and the fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla, of allegedly conspiring to conceal the origin of financial proceeds from their unlawful activities in Nigeria, including $35,400,000.
On July 30, 2024, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja, issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Abraham Ehizojie, a medical doctor at the Kuje Correctional Centre, for failing to produce Gambaryan’s medical report or appear in court.
This order came after Gambaryan’s lawyer drew attention to his health challenges, as he had once appeared in court in a wheelchair.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, counsel, Ekene Iheanacho, informed the judge that he anticipated the appearance of the medical officer to address the ongoing proceedings regarding the health concerns of Gambaryan.
However, a statement forwarded to Newsmen by Teng on Tuesday said: “We are now at the six month mark of Tigran’s unjust detention. Tigran’s physical and mental conditions have deteriorated rapidly with his situation being more dire than ever. He is in severe pain and unable to walk due to a herniated disc.
“Despite his conditions, the Nigerian government has refused adequate medical care, including basic needs such as providing access to a wheelchair.
“Furthermore, they are refusing to provide access to his legal counsel, despite a trial commencing on September 2, which we have been informed is unconstitutional in Nigeria. A court has demanded the government release Tigran’s medical records but after several months, they have still not complied. This week, Tigran was denied access to his US consulate representative. These actions are inexplicable.
“I am deeply concerned about the long-term, potentially irreversible physical and mental impact this horrific episode is having on Tigran and I appeal once again for the Nigerian government to allow him to go home to his family on humanitarian grounds so that he can seek the appropriate medical treatment in the US, recover and get back to the healthy, active life he previously had.”