In a surprising turn of events, Nigeria has officially withdrawn all charges against Tigran Gambaryan, the head of financial crime compliance for the Binance Security and Investigations team.
Since his April detention, Gambaryan has been subject to a money laundering trial.
Ekene Iheanacho, a lawyer representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), announced his release today at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
This hearing came barely two days before the previously planned court date of October 25, implying a purposeful attempt to minimise publicity.
The EFCC's lawyer said Gambaryan, a US citizen, was only a Binance employee and had no involvement in the company's overall financial decisions.
Furthermore, Mark Mordi, senior lawyer representing Gambaryan, agreed while noting that his client was not responsible for the alleged conduct under investigation.
According to Ekene, the charges were dismissed due to "diplomatic issues" because Gambaryan's health had deteriorated.
Gambaryan's health has been a recurring concern throughout the trial, with the judge turning down his second bail plea on October 11 due to insufficient grounds.
Emeka Nwite, the judge, had earlier decided that Gambaryan's ill health did not warrant his release from custody and that his frequent bail requests were an abuse of the court process.
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