Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan officially leaves, CZ: Grateful for you

Tigran Gambaryan, a former executive of the well-known exchange Binance, who was detained by Nigerian authorities for 8 months due to allegations of Money Laundering and tax evasion, was released after the charges were dropped on 10/23 last year and returned to the U.S. He officially announced his departure on 6/6 this year. Although he has gone through imprisonment and suffered personal health issues, he still remains in the encryption industry and emphasizes that he will continue to serve as a bridge for communication among the industry, technology, law enforcement, and Compliance.

Key Summary

Gambaryan was once accused by the Nigerian government of Money Laundering and tax evasion, suffering from illness in prison, which raised international human rights and coin community concerns.

The U.S. Congress continues to pressure the Nigerian government, and Gambaryan returned to the U.S. after being released on October 23 of last year.

Gambaryan announced his resignation on June 6 of this year, emphasizing that he will continue to serve as a bridge between industry, technology, and regulations.

Detained by authorities while going to Nigeria for business negotiations, health condition

Two senior executives of the well-known exchange Binance, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, flew to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, in February 2024. They originally intended to meet with local regulatory authorities but were unexpectedly detained and imprisoned by the authorities on suspicion of Money Laundering and tax evasion.

In March last year, Anjarwalla successfully escaped from Nigeria and reportedly moved to Kenya, leaving Gambaryan alone to stand trial. When Gambaryan appeared in court in April last year, he denied all charges and emphasized that he had no decision-making power and could not represent Binance. However, during his imprisonment, Gambaryan suffered from symptoms such as herniated disc, malaria, and pneumonia, but the Nigerian authorities completely denied this and emphasized that he was "in good condition."

According to reports, Gambaryan's lack of proper medical care has caused spinal nerve damage, rendering him unable to walk, which has prompted international human rights organizations, the crypto community, and U.S. congressional members to voice their condemnation of the illegal detention by the Nay government.

The United States pressured Nigeria, and Gambaryan was eventually released and returned to the U.S.

Several members of the U.S. Congress jointly put pressure on Nigeria and even visited Gambaryan in Nigeria. After many diplomatic mediations, Nigeria's Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) took the lead in dropping the tax evasion charges in June last year, and finally dropped all charges against him on October 23, and Gambaryan flew back to the United States the next day to end his long prison sentence.

After returning to freedom, I resigned from my position at Binance. CZ: Grateful for you.

On June 6 this year, Gambaryan announced on Twitter (X) that he officially resigned from his position at Binance, stating that he has done his best at Binance and it is time to invest his time and energy into new challenges. He also revealed that he might return to the public sector in the future or join mission-driven organizations to continue fighting for the industry.

Binance co-founder CZ also commented below the post, thanking Gambaryan for all his efforts towards Binance and the industry.

This article reports that Binance senior executive Tigran Gambaryan has officially resigned, CZ: Grateful to have you, first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.