In new footage, Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive detained in Nigeria since February, is seen pleading with a prison guard for assistance in an Abuja courtroom. “This is a show,” Gambaryan says. “I’m a f*cking innocent person.” After prison authorities denied his request for a wheelchair, Gambaryan limped into court, struggling with only a crutch.
In the video, Gambaryan, visibly distressed, asks the guard for help, saying, “I’m not okay, this is fcked up,” and clutches the guard’s wrist. When the guard stepped away, Gambaryan turned to onlookers, saying: “He was told not to help me. He said there’s instruction – this is fcked up. Why couldn’t I use a goddamn wheelchair? This is a show. I’m a f*cking innocent person. Why are you doing this to me?”
Gambaryan, in severe pain, again reaches for the guard’s arm, but the guard pulls away, telling him, “Don’t hold me, please. You can walk.” Gambaryan replies, “I can’t fcking walk, my spine is – this is fcked up. I’m a fcking human. I’m not fcking okay.”
Gambaryan’s lawyers filed a new bail application on medical grounds, citing his worsening health conditions, including malaria, pneumonia, tonsillitis, and complications from a herniated disc. The prosecutor opposed the bail, claiming Gambaryan was not ill and refusing treatment. Gambaryan’s previous bail request was denied in May.
Authorities at Kuje prison have refused to release Gambaryan’s health records, but some were presented in court on Monday. The records show a need for immediate surgery but lacked key elements like an MRI scan. Gambaryan has also been denied proper access to his lawyers and U.S. embassy staff.
Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, called the situation “inhumane and degrading,” urging the U.S. Government to intervene: “I urge them to use every available tool to free an innocent American who is at risk of permanent damage…There must be consequences for this disregard of law and human rights.”
Gambaryan, a former IRS agent and Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, was detained after voluntarily traveling to Nigeria. Initially under house arrest with colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla, Gambaryan was moved to Kuje prison after Anjarwalla’s escape and charged with money laundering. The tax evasion charges were later dropped. Gambaryan has pleaded not guilty to money laundering.
The U.S. government has not publicly addressed Gambaryan’s situation. The State Department acknowledged reports of his detention but did not name him. The White House referred inquiries to the State Department.
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