The Digital Chamber (TDC) has expressed concerns that the departure or potential departure of companies from Nigeria could pressure the Nigerian government to release Tigran Gambaryan, the head of financial crime compliance at Binance. Gambaryan has been imprisoned for nearly six months. TDC shared its statement in an August 22 post on X.
"It's been over 170 days since the Nigerian government wrongfully detained Tigran Gambaryan," said TDC. "We hope this treatment may prompt other companies to reconsider their operations in Nigeria and help lead the effort to bring Tigran home."
According to CoinDesk, Nigerian government officials invited Gambaryan to participate in compliance discussions in February. He was detained "without explanation," placed under house arrest, and later moved to Kuje prison. Nigeria charged Gambaryan with money laundering and tax evasion and accused his employer, Binance, of devaluing the naira. Gambaryan pleaded not guilty to all charges, and the tax evasion charges against him were later dropped. While in Kuje prison, Gambaryan's health has declined significantly. He has collapsed in court and is unable to walk due to a herniated disc in his back. His family says he is being denied adequate medical treatment as well as appropriate access to his legal team. "Tigran has been unjustly held for close to half a year now," said Binance CEO Richard Teng. "He needs medical treatment before his conditions become permanent."
The Blockchain Industry Coordinating Committee of Nigeria (BICCoN) stated that the ongoing imprisonment of Gambaryan could damage international support for Nigeria. BICCoN emphasized the need for a "balanced approach" and urged the Nigerian government to consider the impact of Gambaryan's detention on emerging industries and other business sectors within the country. "To mitigate these risks and promote a thriving blockchain ecosystem, BICCoN urges the Nigerian government to prioritize constructive dialogue that will lead to a healthy conclusion of the matter," said BICCoN.
In May, Microsoft announced it was closing down its Africa Development Centre in Lagos, according to Reuters. A Microsoft spokesperson said, "Microsoft has decided to close the Africa Development Centre in Nigeria, and as a result some of our employees based in Nigeria will be impacted." Microsoft had opened the center in 2022.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is considering suspending its Nigerian operations after a Nigerian government agency imposed a $220 million fine for alleged data privacy violations, Pulse Nigeria reported. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) also ordered WhatsApp to stop sharing users' data with other Meta services. WhatsApp stated that the FCCPC's order "Contains multiple inaccuracies and misrepresents how WhatsApp works" and noted that "it would be impossible to provide WhatsApp in Nigeria or globally without Meta’s infrastructure."
Gambaryan joined Binance in September 2021 as Vice President of Global Intelligence and Investigations, according to Binance's website. Prior to this role, he spent ten years working as a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Cyber Crimes Unit. During his career as a special agent, Gambaryan investigated cases involving national security, terrorism financing, identity theft, distribution of child pornography, tax evasion, and bank secrecy act violations. He also led several multi-billion dollar cyber investigations including those related to Silk Road corruption investigations, BTC-e bitcoin exchange, and the Mt. Gox hack. Upon joining Binance, Gambaryan stated: "I want to educate the worldwide law enforcement community on how Binance is a partner in the fight against the illicit use of cryptocurrency, keeping the ecosystem more secure and moving it forward sustainably."