Binance doesn’t see a clear roadmap for getting exec out of Nigeria

Noah Perlman, Binance’s Chief Compliance Officer, discussed the latest in the legal battle involving Nigeria and Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan.

Perlman commented on the ongoing saga involving two Binance executives and the Nigerian government without giving much hope for a resolution anytime soon. 

“We don’t really see a clear roadmap to getting him back in the near term,” said Perlman during an interview with CNBC, in reference to Tigran Gambaryan.

Perlman said that Binance is doing as much as possible to get Gambaryan back to the United States, but the U.S. government has most of the power in negotiations. Gambaryan has worked for the IRS in the past. 

“I have faith in the us government to do the right thing here,” Perlman said.

Gambaryan is suspected of having malaria after collapsing in court on May 24. Despite a court order for his transfer to a hospital, Gambaryan has not been moved from prison, where inadequate medical facilities are hindering proper diagnosis and treatment.

“We suspect he may have malaria. He slumped in court today,” Perlman said.

Citing past Binance negotiations, Perlman emphasized the company’s willingness to cooperate with authorities.

“If [Binance] has done something wrong in the past, and I’m not saying that we have or we haven’t, but if we have, we want to come to the table and resolve it,” Perlman said. “And our message to the Nigerian government is you don’t need to hold on to Tigrin.”

Background

Binance executives Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwall were arrested in February and charged with criminal violations by the Nigerian government. Gambaryan is awaiting trial, while Anjarwall escaped custody although he was ultimatelly extradited from Kenya to Nigeria. 

The two individuals arrived in Nigeria to discuss regulatory issues on behalf of Binance and the government’s recent crackdown on cryptocurrency trading platforms with officials. They were arrested and held in a government facility without their passports following the negotiations.

Gambaryan and Anjarwalla — Binance’s regional director for Africa — both faced four counts of tax evasion, including failing to register with Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service. 

“I don’t know the status of Nadeem,” Perlman said in the interview. “We haven’t had contact with him since he has left.”