A new resolution submitted by US Congressman Rich McCormick has intensified the pressure within Congress for the Biden administration to treat the detention of Tigran Gambaryan, a former federal agent and crypto-focused investigator, as a hostage situation. Gambaryan has been held in Nigeria since February, facing charges related to financial crimes.
Gambaryan was initially invited to Nigeria to help settle a dispute involving the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. However, upon his arrival, Nigerian officials detained Gambaryan, seized his passport, and declared him a “guest” of the state. His family has reported that his health is deteriorating in detention, citing numbness in his foot and persistent back pain.
The resolution submitted by McCormick urges the Nigerian government to release Gambaryan and calls on the US government to recognize that Gambaryan is being illegally detained as a hostage in an effort to extort his employer, Binance. The move echoes the sentiments of 16 other members of Congress who have previously called on the White House to take more decisive measures to secure Gambaryan’s release.
