A senior US lawmaker, Representative James Hill (R-AR), has said the Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, currently being detained in Nigeria has contributed immensely to combating cybercrime in the US and should not be abandoned by the government.
In a video posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account Hill, who serves as Vice Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and Chairman of the subcommittee overseeing digital assets and financial technology, highlighted Gambaryan’s contributions to combating cybercrime, saying that since Tigran has helped America bust many cybercrime rings, it’s time to return the favour.
He expressed grave concerns over the continued detention of the Binance executive in Nigeria, warning that the situation could strain diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Growing concern among US officials
Hill’s intervention comes amid increasing calls for Gambaryan’s release, as the Binance executive has now spent six months in detention in Nigeria on charges of tax evasion and other financial crimes.
These charges, however, are reportedly not tied directly to Gambaryan, leading many to call for his humanitarian release.
“I’m surprised Nigeria, a country considered a friend to America, is holding a US citizen in detention over a matter he’s not directly involved in. I urge President Biden to push harder for his release,” Hill said.
In the video interview posted on his X account, Hill pressed the US Under Secretary for Management, John Bass, on the issue, asking:
“In this administration, we have seen a lot of action on Americans wrongfully detained abroad. And they frequently get a designation.
“But suddenly here we have a country like Nigeria, which we removed from the list in the Biden administration on religious freedom issues, signed a commercial and investment partnership with… detaining an American citizen indefinitely.”
Diplomatic Implications
As Gambaryan’s detention drags on, Hill warned that Nigeria’s actions could have broader diplomatic consequences.
“I don’t think the leadership in Nigeria understands they’re putting our relationship on the line because of the way they’re handling this situation,” Hill cautioned.
- Hill expressed frustration at the Nigerian government’s handling of the situation, calling it “embarrassing.
- He added, “This is a dispute that in no way involves Tigran Gambaryan, and we’re watching his health decline. It is a horrifying situation, and this country is a friend of the US. We are not talking about Iran or Russia here; we are talking about Nigeria.”
What you should know
This is not the first time Hill is making a strong case for Gambaryan, urging Biden’s government to put more effort towards getting him out of detention.
- Sometime in June, Hill and another lawmaker Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat, representing Pennyslyvania, had called for humanitarian release of the Binance Executive.
- Gambaryan has spent six months in detention, facing charges of tax evasion and other financial crimes in Nigeria.
- The lawmakers said they called for his release due to the condition they met him in prison when they visited him.
- The calls also followed the ones by his wife, Yuki Gambaryan who has also consistently demanded the immediate release of her husband, since the Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS has amended its charges to free Gambaryan of culpability in the tax evasion saga.
- Yuki wondered why the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC is still prosecuting her husband when the main tax agency says he does not have a case to answer in the tax evasion allegation.
- Binance and its executives are faced with two separate suits by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the EFCC; the former concerns tax evasion, while the latter deals with money laundering and foreign exchange contravention.
