As a new resolution calls for the humanitarian release of an American held in Nigeria, a major obstacle remains the need for medical records to substantiate the deteriorating health of the now wheelchair-bound Binance exec, a source told Federal Newswire.
In a recent interview, a House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority staffer confirmed that medical records are key to support the U.S. petition for humanitarian release.
“A part of proving he should have a humanitarian release or be transferred from this hellhole to a hospital is having the medical records," he said.
Meanwhile U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin) is among those working to expedite the release of former IRS agent Tigran Gambaryan as his medical condition worsens.
“Tigran Gambaryan continues to be held in Nigeria on baseless charges. Amid reports of his rapidly deteriorating health, I once again call for his immediate and unconditional release,” U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “The Biden administration must take action to prioritize his safe return. There’s no time to waste.”
Gambaryan, a former IRS agent who cracked cases immortalized in the Andy Greenberg book “Tracers in the Dark,” traveled to Nigeria Feb. 26 as part of his role with Binance only to be taken captive by those he was trying to assist. While his British-Kenyan colleague managed to flee incarceration, Gambaryan has been lodged since April in Kuje Prison, known to jail terrorists amidst harsh conditions. Though tax evasion charges against Gambaryan were dropped in June, he’s still charged, along with Binance, with money laundering more than $35 million.
Gambaryan’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 11 as the Nigerian court takes recess from mid-July to September. Because this is time Gambaryan's health might not be able to afford, Rep. Richard McCormick (R-GA) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives on July 10 that seeks Gambaryan’s immediate release. According to the resolution, “If Tigran’s case is not resolved by mid-July he may remain in detention for an even longer undue period of time.”
The resolution urges the U.S. to “use all resources available to secure the release of Tigran Gambaryan” and to declare him a citizen wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. Additionally, it seeks unrestricted consulate access in accordance with international obligations as well as respect for Gambaryan's human and due process rights. Especially pertinent given health concerns, it calls for unrestrained access to medical care, including prescriptions and antimalarial drugs as needed.
Previously, the Nigerian government has maintained that Gambaryan is not being denied medical care, but the staffer said, “It took a very long time to confirm that he had been given access to anti-malarial prophylaxis” despite the endemic and sometimes fatal nature of malaria in this part of the world. “We were just putting a lot of pressure to make sure he has access even most basic prophylactic.”
He also noted that the prison and its doctor have not been forthcoming with records ordered by the Nigerian courts, which have issued a warrant.
In the months since his April incarceration at Kuje Prison, Gambaryan has been stricken with malaria and double pneumonia. Due to his weakened state, Gambaryan collapsed to the floor in court on May 23, and appeared in a wheelchair for a July 16 court session with reports circling of a herniated disc.
According to Globe Banner on July 2, Gambaryan's malaria and pneumonia, combined with substantial weight loss, were witnessed first-hand by U.S. Rep. French Hill (R-Arkansas) and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania) during their visit to the prison. With their joint support for Gambaryan’s release, the matter is now a bipartisan issue, with greater chances that the resolution will pass the House of Representatives, the staffer said.