- Tigran Gambaryan’s family says prison officials have refused him a wheelchair.
- His family accused prison officials of blocking his access to lawyers.
- The Binance executive is awaiting trial on money laundering charges in Nigeria.
Tigran Gambaryan, the ailing Binance executive jailed in Nigeria, has been denied the use of a wheelchair, his family said on Monday.
Gambaryan, 40, a US-based compliance manager who was charged with money laundering by Nigerian authorities in March, has been coping with malaria and pneumonia during his incarceration in a prison in the African nation’s capital, Abuja.
His family said Gambaryan cannot walk without assistance.
“His health is deteriorating to the point where he can no longer walk and he is being inhumanely denied the use of a wheelchair,” Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, said in a statement shared by the family’s representatives with DL News.
‘Horrible’ conditions
Gambaryan, a US citizen and Binance’s financial crimes compliance chief, is waiting for his trial to resume on September 2 after a two-month break for the court’s annual recess.
Gambaryan’s legal woes stem from a long-running dispute between the Nigerian government and the world’s top crypto exchange.
He has denied allegations levelled against him by Nigerian anti-corruption officials, as has Binance. His lawyer, Mark Mordi, has called the prosecution of Gambaryan “state-sanctioned hostage taking.”
Gambaryan is being held under prison conditions described as “horrible” by two visiting US lawmakers in June: Rep. French Hill, an Arkansas Republican, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat.
A prison spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the question of whether the accused is being denied wheelchair access.
Limited mobility
Nigerian prison authorities and the nation’s information ministry have maintained in the past that Gambaryan was receiving proper medical care.
A person familiar with Gambaryan’s situation told DL News he does move around his cell and is not sick.
Gambaryan’s limited mobility stems from a pre-existing herniated disc in his back, a condition that has become difficult to manage in prison.
The family said Gambaryan’s bad back has been aggravated by his long stint in detention and will require specialised surgery to fix.
Without access to a wheelchair, Gambaryan’s family said the Binance executive is no longer able to get to the prison’s visiting area to meet with lawyers or officials from the US Embassy.
Osato Avan-Nomayo is our Nigeria-based DeFi correspondent. He covers DeFi and tech. To share tips or information about stories, please contact him at osato@dlnews.com.
