The United States urges Nigeria to release detained Binance employees

On September 13th, according to The New York Times, two senior officials from the US State Department revealed that the US government has urged Nigeria to release Binance employee Tigran Gambaryan. Gambaryan was arrested in Nigeria in February and is facing serious health issues while in prison. This detention incident has become an important factor affecting the diplomatic relations between the United States and Nigeria. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken communicated with the Nigerian Foreign Minister on this matter in May. Other US diplomats, including the Ambassador to Nigeria, have also privately called for the release of Gambaryan with the Nigerian President, Minister of Finance, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Trade. US diplomats have stated that, based on humanitarian considerations, 40 year old Gambaryan should be released. He suffered from health problems such as malaria and spinal disc herniation in prison, but did not receive proper medical treatment and his health condition deteriorated rapidly. Gambaryan arrived in Nigeria in February for talks with local officials regarding Binance's operations in the country. The Nigerian authorities accuse Binance of allowing users to transfer funds out of the local currency Naira, causing the Naira exchange rate to collapse and thereby damaging the Nigerian economy. The authorities have charged Gambaryan and Binance with tax evasion and money laundering. The tax charges have been withdrawn, but other charges are still ongoing.