After being detained during a business trip to Nigeria in February, US resident Tigran Gambaryan and his company Binance were accused of laundering $35.4 million (£28 million), a claim they rejected.
At Binance, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, which Nigeria holds largely responsible for its recent economic unrest, the 40-year-old was in charge of financial crime compliance.
The digital platform, which allows investors to purchase, sell, and trade cryptocurrencies, was accused of manipulating exchange rates and engaging in currency speculation, which caused the local currency to plummet.
The accusations against Binance, which include tax evasion offenses that it disputes, were a component of the Nigerian government’s crackdown on it.
Concerned about his health, Mr. Gambaryan’s family has been urging his release, claiming that the conditions in the Kuje Correctional Centre, a prison in the capital, Abuja, where he had been detained since April, were making his back issue worse.
