The Nigerian government has officially dropped all charges against Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at Binance Holdings, who had been on trial for alleged money laundering involving $34.4 million since April.
A lawyer representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which was prosecuting the case, announced the withdrawal of charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja. This hearing occurred two days earlier than the previously scheduled return date of October 25, set by trial judge Emeka Nwite.
In announcing the withdrawal, the EFCC lawyer stated that Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, was merely an employee of Binance and was not directly involved in the broader financial decisions of the company. Mark Mordi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria representing Gambaryan, concurred with the prosecution’s stance.
This development is believed to be the result of diplomatic lobbying by the U.S. government to secure Gambaryan’s release.
He has been attending the trial from the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja, where his legal team had raised concerns about the poor conditions he faced.
