The money laundering trial in Nigeria involving Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, and two of its executives has been adjourned until July 5. The trial proceedings continued on Monday with the cross-examination of the first witness from the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission.
During the court session, it was revealed that despite multiple court orders, the prison where Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, is being held has not released his medical records from his recent hospital visit. This raised concerns about Gambaryan’s deteriorating health, as reported by his family.
Justice Emeka Nwite reiterated the order for the prison to provide Gambaryan’s medical reports to his legal representatives by Friday. Gambaryan has been detained in Kuje prison in Nigeria since February, alongside individuals associated with the terrorist group Boko Haram. Nadeem Anjarwalla, another executive facing the same money laundering charges, has managed to escape custody.
Gambaryan’s family spokesperson stated, “Tigran’s health continues to deteriorate in detention, and he has experienced numbness in his foot and back pain. He has also suffered from double pneumonia and malaria while in prison.” His wife, Yuki Gambaryan, emphasized that Tigran has never been a decision-maker at Binance and called for his release.
U.S. members of Congress recently visited Gambaryan and urged the U.S. government to intervene in his case. Furthermore, Binance is the sole defendant in a separate tax evasion case, as charges against Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were dropped. The tax evasion trial has been adjourned until July 12.
When approached for comments, Binance declined to provide a statement. CoinDesk reached out to the Nigerian SEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for their perspectives on the ongoing legal proceedings.