Biden Thanked Nigerian President After Binance Executive Escaped from Prison

In a phone call between world leaders on Tuesday, United States President Joe Biden thanked his Nigerian counterpart Bola Tinubu for playing an important role in the release of a Binance employee who was imprisoned in the African country until days ago.

Biden stated that Tinubu’s leadership was essential to ensure the release of Tigran Gambaryan from Nigerian custody on humanitarian grounds. expression He explained the main themes of the call from the White House.

Gambaryan last week launched From a prison in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, after more than eight months in detention. The Binance executive, an American citizen living outside Atlanta, was first detained in February after flying to Nigeria to meet with local authorities regarding the upcoming crypto crackdown.

Gambaryan was soon charged with money laundering and facilitating the operation of an unlicensed financial institution. His health reportedly deteriorated significantly in the following months. Gambaryan’s family in question He said he suffered from a herniated disc, malaria and recurring throat infections while incarcerated. Nigerian government has repeatedly refuted He made these claims and insisted that the American crypto executive was “fine”.

Finally, after months of slowly escalating diplomatic appeals by several members of Congress, two of them left for Nigeria. visit Gambaryan in prison—Nigerian prosecutors abruptly dropped charges against the Binance employee last week. One day later he flew House.

On the day of Gambaryan’s release, the US State Department announced It will establish a Bilateral Liaison Group on Illicit Finance and Cryptocurrencies in partnership with the Nigerian government.

During his meeting with President Tinubu on Tuesday, Biden reportedly appreciated Nigeria’s willingness to cooperate on law enforcement initiatives, including the new crypto task force.

Edited by Andrew Hayward