Tigran Gambaryan, the Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance and a former U.S. federal agent, has resigned from the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange following his high-profile detention in Nigeria. His departure, announced on June 6, 2025, marks the end of a turbulent chapter for both Gambaryan and Binance, with implications for compliance and regulatory strategies in the crypto industry.
The Nigerian Justice Emeka Nwite has ordered the officials of the Kuje correctional facility to provide Tigran Gambaryan, the detained executive of Binance Holdings Limited, with a wheelchair. This decision came after Gambaryan, who appeared in court walking with crutches, expressed that his health had severely deteriorated due to inadequate medical care at the facility.
Tigran Gambaryan, Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance, worked as a Special Agent for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the U.S. for approximately ten years before joining Binance. In February 2024, Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, another Binance executive, were arrested in Nigeria on charges of money laundering and tax evasion. He has been detained in a Nigerian prison since then, facing health issues and legal challenges.
Binance CEO Richard Teng has denied allegations from the Nigerian government regarding money laundering and terrorism financing on the platform, calling for the release of detained employee Tigran Gambaryan. The crypto exchange and two of its executives, Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, are accused of laundering over $35 million. There are claims that Nigerian officials demanded a bribe of $150 million from Binance.
Binance, the world's largest and certainly most controversial crypto exchange, wants you to believe it's the hero of the crypto world, announcing it has recovered or frozen over $73 million in stolen funds so far in 2023. But make no mistake: while Binance paints itself as a protector of user assets, it’s hard to ignore the shadow of scandal and legal trouble hanging over its operations. Its co-founder and former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, currently serves prison time.
The criminal proceedings in Nigeria against Binance and its executives have kept the crypto scene busy for months. The charges of financial offenses could result in prison sentences and fines. A Nigerian court has set October 11 as the date for the verdict in the tax evasion trial against crypto exchange. The company faces four charges, including failure to register with Nigeria’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
In the Binance Nigeria Case, the Federal High Court in Abuja has cleared Binance executives Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla of tax evasion charges filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The court's decision came after the FIRS submitted amended charges, effectively dropping the tax allegations against Gambaryan and Anjarwalla, who has reportedly fled to Kenya.
US lawmakers are calling for urgent intervention to secure the release of Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive currently detained in Nigeria. Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has stated that the trial of Binance and Gambaryan, who is accused of illegal crypto trading in Nigeria, is proceeding according to Nigeria's laws. The statement followed a letter sent to President Joe Biden, urging the US hostage affairs unit to facilitate Gambaryan's release.
According to a report of DLNews, Binance France has replaced co-founder and former Binance Group CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) with two new shareholders, a strategic move aimed at preserving its operational status in the EU's second-largest economy. This decision follows CZ's guilty plea to violating US banking laws last November. He was sentenced to 4 months in prison for his violations and had to pay around $150 million to U.S. authorities, including regulator CFTC.
On May 23, 2024, the trial of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan took an unexpected turn at the Federal High Court in Abuja when Gambaryan collapsed during the proceedings, online news platform Punch reported. The dramatic incident occurred shortly after the court registrar called for the continuation of the trial. As the trial commenced, Gambaryan, who typically sat at the back, did not step forward to the dock.
Working for the crypto exchange Binance may pull you into severe troubles, as shown in the case in Nigeria. Recently, a Nigerian court denied bail to Tigran Gambaryan, the Binance compliance officer facing charges of tax evasion and money laundering. The Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Judge Emeka Nwite, ruled that Gambaryan, a former IRS special agent, is likely to abscond if released on bail.
Tigran Gambaryan, a senior executive at crypto giant Binance, has issued a public plea for assistance from the United States government through a video released from his detention in Nigeria. Gambaryan, the head of financial crime compliance at Binance, confirmed his month-long detention in a video that has gained considerable traction online. The video evidently was recorded in early March 2024 and found its way to X just recently.