A Nigerian court on Friday denied a bail request on health grounds for a Binance Holdings Ltd. executive facing charges of money laundering and currency manipulation.
The court, however, instructed that the executive be referred to a hospital for medical treatment, Bloomberg reported.
Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, has been detained in Nigeria since February, with U.S. lawmakers arguing that his detention is unjust. His lawyer has repeatedly highlighted his deteriorating health, stating that he requires surgery.
In August, Tigran Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki Gambaryan, raised concerns, appealing to the Nigerian government for her husband’s release on humanitarian grounds. She stressed that her husband requires “highly specialized and risky surgery” due to the worsening condition of his herniated disc, which has deteriorated to the point of becoming irreversibly damaged.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in the capital, Abuja, denied the bail application, noting that a person being ill “does not entitle them to leave custody unless the continuous stay of the detainee possesses a harm to others and quarantine isn’t available.”
Gambaryan’s lawyer, Mark Mordi, urged the court to grant bail so his client could seek medical treatment for the health condition that was severely affecting his ability to walk. Gambaryan arrived at the court in a wheelchair, where he remained throughout the hearing.
“I am not surprised by this decision,” his wife said in a statement. “It is completely unjust to deny someone in Tigran’s condition the opportunity to seek appropriate medical help.”
The standoff between Nigeria and Binance came to light in February when Nigerian authorities detained Tigran Gambaryan and a colleague, the latter of whom later escaped, during their visit to Nigeria. Gambaryan has been held at the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja since early April.
In June, Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service removed the two executives as defendants in the tax evasion case, but they, along with Binance, still face separate money laundering charges.
