The detention of Gambaryan, according to the Chamber of Digital Commerce, is arbitrary, devoid of due process, and poses a serious threat to diplomatic relations and international legal norms.
Pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to act quickly to facilitate the release of two prominent figures from Binance: Nadeem Anjarwalla, a senior executive at Binance, and Tigran Gambaryan, a former US federal agent specialising in cryptocurrencies who has been held without a passport by the Nigerian government since February 26, 2024.
The Chamber of Digital Commerce is spearheading the need for immediate diplomatic action to rectify what it considers to be a serious injustice. The Chamber launched its appeal in a blog post on its website on March 15.
In light of the dubious circumstances behind Tigran Gambaryan’s detention, the post raises alarms about the possibility that foreign authorities may take similar illegal acts against any American entrepreneur operating overseas, particularly those involved in the bitcoin space. The blog entry mentioned:
“National dignity and the safety of American citizens around the world are at stake with Tigran Gambaryan’s unjustified detention; it is more than just a legal matter.”
International law norms and diplomatic ties are seriously threatened by the Chamber of Digital Commerce, which regards Gambaryan’s incarceration as arbitrary and devoid of due process.
This is a very unique and complex scenario, unlike similar cases in states with worse relations with the United States, because Nigeria, a country that receives over $1 billion in foreign aid year, is an ally of the United States. The Financial Times reported on the detentions on February 28 without naming Gambaryan and Anjarwalla specifically, following the initial reports that surfaced in late February.
American citizen Gambaryan and dual Kenyan and British citizen Anjarwalla came in Abuja on February 25, according to their family. They travelled to Nigeria at the government’s invitation to talk about the ongoing conflict with Binance over the latter’s alleged unlawful activities in the country.
The executives allegedly met with Nigerian officials the next day to discuss the government’s order to the telecom providers in the nation to impose access restrictions on Binance and other cryptocurrency exchanges. The devaluation of the naira, which is Nigeria’s official currency, and the ease of “illicit flows” of funds to cryptocurrency exchanges were attributed by officials.
But soon after the first meeting, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were led to their lodgings, not to achieve an understanding. According to their family’s accounts, they were told to pack up their possessions and taken to a “guesthouse” run by the National Security Agency of Nigeria.
A few days before Binance formally declared its withdrawal from Nigeria on March 5, Gambaryan and Anjarwalla were taken into custody.