Congressman Rich McCormick has expressed surprise at the Nigerian government's treatment of Binance's Tigran Gambaryan, considering Nigeria's supposed "friendly" stance towards the United States. McCormick made these remarks during a podcast episode on October 1.
"Think about any United States citizen who's taken like this by what is supposed to be a legitimate government," said McCormick. "We expect it from terrorists, we expect it from bad people who hold people hostage for money, but we wouldn't expect it from a friendly government. If this was your family member, you'd be outraged. I hate to see what's happened to him."
According to Forbes, Gambaryan, who previously served as an investigator for the U.S. federal government for ten years, was invited by Nigerian officials to Abuja in February to participate in compliance discussions. He attended in his role as head of financial crime compliance for Binance, a global cryptocurrency exchange. However, Nigerian authorities accused Binance of contributing to the devaluation of the naira and detained Gambaryan without charges. He was later charged with financial crimes and transferred to Kuje Prison, where his health has reportedly worsened due to an untreated herniated disc and illnesses such as malaria, pneumonia, and tonsillitis.
The U.S. State Department describes its relationship with Nigeria as one focused on shared interests including security cooperation and economic growth. In Fiscal Year 2022, the U.S. provided nearly $1.2 billion in foreign assistance resources to Nigeria.
Andrew Adams, a former official with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), has suggested that the U.S. should halt discretionary fund sharing with Nigeria to encourage Gambaryan's release. In an opinion piece authored by Adams, he said that "as a discretionary program," departments like DOJ and Treasury have the authority to stop these transfers under international sharing protocols. Adams argues this action is justified when such programs are undermined by what he describes as "arbitrary" prosecutions.
Adams also noted that while public responses from the U.S. government regarding Gambaryan's detention have been "lacking," any official response must consider broader implications. Nonetheless, he views stopping fund transfers through DOJ’s international sharing program as a "well-tailored" response that would express disapproval of Nigeria’s actions while withholding funds from authorities involved in what he calls an abuse of power.
McCormick is a veteran representing Georgia's 6th Congressional District and serves on several committees including Armed Services and Foreign Affairs.
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