Sheila Warren, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation, has raised concerns regarding the treatment of Tigran Gambaryan, head of financial crime compliance for Binance and a former U.S. federal investigator, who is currently imprisoned in Nigeria. Warren expressed her concerns in a statement released on October 1.
"Tigran Gambaryan remains wrongfully detained by the Nigerian government," said Warren. "He is also being denied access to urgent medical attention. My heart goes out to Tigran and his family, who are all suffering through this horrifying ordeal."
According to CoinDesk, Nigerian officials had invited Gambaryan to participate in compliance discussions in February. However, he was detained during his visit, and his health has reportedly deteriorated significantly while in prison. He is said to be suffering from malaria and an untreated herniated disc that has impaired his mobility. Congressman Rich McCormick said that he believes Gambaryan is being held "hostage" as a means to "punish" Binance. McCormick further suggested that the U.S. government should leverage its influence over Nigeria to secure Gambaryan's release.