The family of Binance Executive Tigran Gambaryan has expressed deep distress over the denial of his bail, citing unlawful detention and urgent medical needs.
Despite meeting all necessary requirements for bail on medical grounds, a court in Abuja denied Gambaryan’s release. His family, who described him as a U.S. citizen unlawfully detained since February 26, 2024, emphasized that it has been over 230 days since he last saw his wife and family.
The family referred to statements from the EFCC prosecutor, who claimed Tigran was being charged because “the 1st defendant (Binance) is operating virtually. The only thing we have to hold on to is this defendant.”
In a statement to the press, Tigran’s wife, Yuki Gambaryan, expressed her anguish: “We all know Tigran was never a decision-maker at Binance and is completely innocent, yet I’m not surprised by this ruling. Denying someone in his condition the chance to seek medical help is utterly unjust. I can only hope that when he is finally released, the damage he has suffered isn’t permanent. I’m exhausted and deeply disappointed, but I will continue to fight for my husband’s rightful freedom.”
In a recent podcast featuring Yaya Jata Fanusie, Yuki conveyed her constant fear of losing Tigran. “Tigran is innocent, and he is suffering,” she said, sharing how their five-year-old son struggles to understand his father’s absence and recently gazed at an airplane overhead, asking if it was his dad coming home.
The podcast, released earlier this month, discusses Gambaryan’s unjust detention and includes commentary from friends and former colleagues. To raise awareness, a truck displaying messages about his situation has been circulating around Washington, D.C.
Yuki urged the U.S. government to intervene, saying, “I beg the U.S. Government to officially recognize that Tigran is being unlawfully detained and to take immediate action against the Nigerian Government unless they release him.”
Gambaryan’s aging mother, Knarik, also expressed her heartbreak: “They are treating my son as if he’s not human. He’s innocent. Please bring my son home.”
The family’s statement noted that the Nigerian government invited Gambaryan to Nigeria for a meeting, assuring him of his safety. However, during this meeting, his passport was confiscated, and he was relocated from his hotel to a guest house, where he was held for nearly a month before facing charges related to Binance.
Yuki continued, “During this time, Gambaryan was routinely denied legal counsel, and his health has rapidly deteriorated to the point where he now requires a wheelchair, which he often lacks access to. He has suffered multiple bouts of pneumonia and malaria, which have severely affected his physical and emotional well-being. On the podcast, I shared his health struggles, including a new respiratory infection, severe pain from a herniated disc, and the need for a tonsillectomy that the prison is ill-equipped to provide.”
“Tigran has missed countless milestones while in detention, including his son’s fifth birthday and first day of school; he spent his 40th birthday in a Nigerian prison and missed his 15th wedding anniversary,” Yuki lamented.
She implored the authorities to grant her husband bail in accordance with the law.
