Tigran Gambalyan is a longtime U.S. federal employee who helped lead groundbreaking investigations that took down crypto thieves, money launderers, dark web drug dealers, and even crypto-funded child exploitation networks. Now, in his post-government role at crypto exchange Binance, he himself is the target of a very different kind of federal cryptocurrency crackdown. For the past two weeks, he and another Binance executive have been held against their will by Nigerian authorities. .
Since February 26, Gambariyan, who currently heads Binance's criminal investigation team, and Nadeem Anjarwala, Binance's Africa regional manager based in Kenya, have had their passports stripped of their passports and imprisoned on government land in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. has been done. Neither man was informed of any criminal charges, according to their families. Rather, the two appear to have been caught up in Nigeria's broader move to ban crypto exchanges amid a significant devaluation of the country's currency, the newspaper reported. financial times, The company first reported that two executives had been anonymously detained.
“We don't have clear answers about how he's doing, what's going to happen to him, when he's going to come back,” said Gambarian's wife, Yuki Gambarian. “And not knowing that is killing me.”
Gambariyan, a US national, and Anjarwala, a dual British-Kenyan citizen, arrived in Abuja on February 25 following an invitation from the Nigerian government to address the ongoing dispute with Binance. announced the family. The next day, they met with Nigerian officials to seek access to Binance and other crypto exchanges that regulators accuse of devaluing the official currency, the Naira, and enabling “illicit capital outflows.” He had intended to speak to the government about an order to block the country's telecommunications companies. ” funds.
However, according to Gambariyan and Anjarwala's families, shortly after their first meeting with the Nigerian government, Gambariyan and Anjarwala were taken to a hotel, told to pack their bags, and operated by the Nigerian National Security Agency. It is said that he moved to a “guest house'' where he lived. Authorities confiscated their passports and held them captive in their homes against their will for two weeks ever since.
According to family members, Mr. Gambalyan has been visited by U.S. State Department officials and Mr. Anjawala has been visited by representatives from the British Foreign Office, but Nigerian government security personnel have also been present at these meetings, preventing them from having private conversations. It is said that there is.
When WIRED contacted Binance, a spokesperson declined to comment on what the men or the company itself are accused of, or what demands the Nigerian government has made for their release. “While it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the nature of the allegations at this time, we can say that we are working with the Nigerian authorities to bring Nadeem and Tigran safely home to their families,” a Binance spokesperson said. A representative told WIRED. “They are professionals with the highest integrity and we will provide them with all the support we can. We believe this matter will be resolved quickly.”
