Binance clarified that their employee Tigran Gambaryan, currently detained in Nigeria, does not hold a position within the company’s management team.
The company emphasized that Gambaryan, an American citizen, functions solely as a law enforcement officer and does not possess any decision-making capabilities.
In February, Gambaryan and his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla, also from Binance Holdings Limited, were apprehended in Nigeria under suspicion of being involved in money laundering activities.
Along with other allegations, the firm and the two employees were accused of money laundering amounting to $35,400,000 at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
While Gambaryan remains in custody, Anjarwalla managed to escape and leave the country.
Binance’s statement highlighted that Gambaryan is dedicated to law enforcement and advocacy for good governance and transparent financial regulations, despite no longer being in official U.S. government service.
The company respectfully urged that Gambaryan, who lacks decision-making authority at Binance, should not be held accountable while ongoing discussions between Binance and Nigerian government officials take place.
The hiring of Gambaryan in 2021 by Binance was aimed at addressing previous compliance issues within the company. As the leader of Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance team, Gambaryan played a crucial role in advocating for the establishment of new industry standards through policy development and compliance capability building.
Throughout 2022 and 2023, Gambaryan’s team collaborated with global law enforcement agencies to freeze and seize assets worth over $2.2 billion, with a significant portion of this amount, more than $285 million, being done in partnership with U.S. agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and DEA.
Binance highlighted that Gambaryan and his team conducted various training sessions for Nigerian law enforcement officials, focusing on the role of exchanges in the digital asset ecosystem. This included online workshops and full-day training sessions for EFCC officials in Abuja and Lagos, with the aim of enhancing their investigative capabilities.
