U.S. Chamber of Digital Commerce: "Arrest of Binance top managers in Nigeria is a kidnapping"
The U.S. Chamber of Digital Commerce has called on the administration of President Joe Biden to provide diplomatic assistance for the release of two top managers of the largest Binance crypto exchange held by the Nigerian authorities.
American public figures called the detention of Tigran Gambaryan, head of the Binance Regulatory Compliance Department, and Nadeem Anjarwalla, Regional manager for Africa, a violation of international law. The Chamber considers the actions of Nigerian law enforcement officers to be a serious injustice and a "state-sponsored kidnapping."
The statement of the Chamber emphasizes that the arrest creates a dangerous precedent, because of which American businessmen abroad, especially those working with cryptocurrencies, also risk suffering. The detention of Binance's top managers serves to force the exchange to pay a fine of $ 10 billion issued by local authorities, the Chamber said in an official statement. In early March, Binance refused to pay this money to the Nigerian government and stopped serving local customers:
"U.S. citizen Tigran Gambaryan has been unfairly detained by the Nigerian government. Apparently, he was invited to the country under false pretenses only to be arrested. Without any accusations and clear explanations, except that he now works at Binance."
Public figures are trying to put pressure on American officials, assuring them that what happened in Nigeria is more than just a legal issue: it is a matter of protecting national dignity and American citizens around the world.