U.S. Urged to Intervene in Detention of American Crypto Experts in Nigeria
Summary:
The Biden administration is facing increasing demands to assist in the immediate release of former U.S. federal agent and cryptocurrency expert, Tigran Gambaryan, and Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who have been held by the Nigerian government without passports since Feb. 26, 2024. The Chamber of Digital Commerce is appealing for swift diplomatic action through a blog post, arguing the detention poses threats to international law standards and diplomatic relations. The situation is further complicated as Nigeria, an ally of the U.S., receives significant annual U.S. foreign aid. The executives were in Nigeria to address a dispute concerning Binance's alleged illegal activities in the country, but were instead detained after their initial meeting.
Calls for immediate action from the Biden administration are growing, with the aim to secure the release of ex-U.S. federal agent specialized in cryptocurrency, Tigran Gambaryan, and another Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla. Both have been held by the Nigerian government without passports since February 26, 2024. The Chamber of Digital Commerce has spearheaded the campaign for urgent diplomatic intervention, issuing their request in a March 15 blog post, expressing their concern about an apparent severe injustice. The post stated that Gambaryan's detainment under such dubious circumstances sets a concerning trend, indicating that any US businessperson overseas could fall prey to such illegal activities by foreign governments, particularly those engaged in the crypto sector. The post declared, "This baseless detainment of Tigran Gambaryan is more than a legal predicament; it touches on the nation's honor and preserving the rights of American nationals globally." The Chamber asserts that Gambaryan's detention is random, lacks due process, and challenges international law standards and diplomatic negotiations. The United States Chamber of Commerce on X reflects these sentiments.
Nigeria, a country that enjoys over $1 billion of U.S. foreign aid annually, being an American ally, makes this situation extremely complex and extraordinary, deviating from similar cases in nations with strained ties with the U.S. Information about Gambaryan's and Anjarwalla's arrests first came to light in late February, with Financial Times reporting the story without mentioning them directly on February 28. Families of the detainees reveal that Gambaryan, an American national, and Anjarwalla, a British-Kenyan dual citizen, arrived in Abuja on February 25. They were in Nigeria on the government's invitation to discuss the ongoing dispute with Binance over its alleged unlawful operations in the country.
The executives reportedly met with Nigerian officials the next day to discuss the government's order for national telecom providers to limit access to Binance and other digital asset exchanges. According to officials, this step came as digital exchanges were responsible for the devaluation of the Nigerian currency, the naira, and enabling the "illegitimate transfers" of funds. However, instead of finding a resolution, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were taken from their hotels right after the preliminary meeting, ordered to collect their things and driven to a "guesthouse" supervised by Nigeria's National Security Agency, as per their families' accounts. Gambaryan's and Anjarwalla's arrests followed closely on the heels of Binance officially announcing its departure from Nigeria on March 5.
Published At
3/16/2024 2:15:04 PM
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