Nigerian court denies Binance executive’s health bail application

A Nigerian court has denied bail to Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who faces money laundering charges despite concerns about his deteriorating health.

On Friday, October 11, a Nigerian court rejected the bail application of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who is on trial on charges of money laundering and currency manipulation, on medical grounds.

According to Bloomberg, although the court rejected bail, it ordered prison officials to transfer Gambaryan to a hospital for treatment. While US lawmakers have criticized his detention as unfair, his legal team has also expressed concern that his health condition has repeatedly deteriorated, requiring surgery.

In September, Gambaryan’s lawyer, Mark Mordi, told the court that the manager had been awaiting surgery since mid-July and that his condition required emergency care that was not available in prison. Mordi highlighted the various health issues affecting Gambaryan, including malaria, pneumonia, tonsillitis, and complications from a herniated disc that at times required the Binance executive to use a wheelchair.

The court had previously postponed the bail decision in September before rejecting this latest request.

Gambaryan, Binance’s financial crimes compliance officer who holds American citizenship, was arrested by Nigerian law enforcement in February along with his British-Kenyan counterpart Nadeem Anjarwalla. The duo were captured at Abuja airport after authorities appealed for Binance representatives to come to the capital. Following their arrest, all naira and peer-to-peer services on Binance were suspended in Nigeria.

Anjarwalla fled the country in March using a secret Kenyan passport. Reports later emerged saying that Nigerian security forces were able to locate the Binance representative and arrested him in Kenya at the request of the Nigerian Interpol Bureau.