U.S. aircraft evacuates Binance executive Gambaryan from Nigeria after charges dropped

Tigran Gambaryan, a senior executive at Binance Holdings Limited, was evacuated from Nigeria on a U.S. aircraft outfitted with medical facilities shortly after the Nigerian government dropped money laundering charges against him, according to The New York Times.

Gambaryan, who had been detained since February over allegations of naira manipulation involving the cryptocurrency exchange, was released on Wednesday.

This followed a series of less confrontational discussions between US and Nigerian officials, leading to a significant diplomatic intervention.

According to reports, Gambaryan suffered severe health issues while in custody, including malaria, double pneumonia, and a herniated disk, prompting urgent medical intervention.

His wife, Yuki Gambaryan, had made multiple appeals to the Nigerian government concerning his critical health condition, which significantly influenced the decision for his release and subsequent medical evacuation.

The situation escalated when Nadeem Anjarwalla, a regional manager for Binance and a fellow detainee, managed to escape from the custody of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in March, leaving Gambaryan to face the legal challenges alone.

Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, was quoted as saying that the release of Gambaryan is an outcome of the commitment of both countries to work together.