Negligence! Tigran Gambaryan’s Health Is Being Endangered by Officials

• Prison officials continue to rebuff requests for Tigran Gambaryan’s test results.
• Gambaryan’s health appears to be worsening.
• The prosecution’s second witness has taken the stand.

Tigran Gambaryan has been detained for over 120 days in Nigeria . Despite being cleared of tax evasion charges , the Binance executive still has a separate money laundering case to deal with.

After months of procedural hiccups and failed attempts to shake the charges, the Binance executive has been left with no choice but to make a stand. However, as the case trudges on, his health continues to be cause for concern after he slumped in a May 23 hearing. These concerns are further heightened by the reluctance of Nigerian officials to release the Binance executive’s medical reports.

Officials Rebuff Court Request for Gambaryan’s Test Results… Again

Nearly a month and multiple requests later, Nigerian Correctional Service officials have yet to release the medical test results of Gambaryan, who is believed to be suffering from malaria and double pneumonia. 

In a Friday, July 5 hearing in the money laundering case observed by my colleague, DailyCoin reporter Grace Abidemi , the Binance executive’s lawyer, Mark Modi, again raised the issue.

Highlighting Gambaryan’s coughing fits, he urged the Judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, to take a firm stance, arguing that he was being “taken for a ride.” Modi demanded that the judge order the prison doctor, Dr Abraham Ehigozie, to appear before the court at the next trial date set for July 16 if he failed to turn in the requested test results before then—a request the judge acquiesced to.

Meanwhile, while officials continue to dally with the result, Gambaryan’s condition appears to be worsening.

Back Pains

Further raising concerns about the Binance executive’s health, Modi noted that his client had complained about pressure in his back, requiring an MRI scan. According to the lawyer, they had written to the prison facility two days ago to take him out for the test as they believed the facility was not equipped to handle the procedure. This letter, however, has yet to be met with a response.

At this juncture, a prosecutor cut Modi off to assert that the prison facility could handle the MRI test. However, this statement triggered an outburst of laughter from the crowd, who did not appear to put much weight behind his words.

Responding to the prosecutor’s claims, Modi argued that the last time they claimed to take Gambaryan for treatment, he was whisked away in the middle of the night, barely checked, and sent back to prison with a high fever and pneumonia. 

Returning to the issue of the MRI scan, the Binance executive’s lawyers also urged the prosecution to send a letter to the prison facility for a quick response.

On the Flipside 

• The Nigerian government maintains that Gambaryan has access to adequate healthcare and is treated fairly.
• Binance is now the sole defendant in the separate tax evasion case brought by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigeria’s tax authority.

Why This Matters

Tigran Gambaryan has spent over four months in Nigerian detention for crimes allegedly committed by his employers. Recent court appearances suggest that unsavory prison conditions are taking a significant toll on the Binance man’s health.

Read this to catch up on all the details in the Tigran Gambaryan detention saga:
Tigran Gambaryan Is Still Detained After 100+ Days: What’s Going On?

Learn all you need to know about EIP-7732:
What Is Ethereum EIP-7732 and What Can It Bring to the Network?