SUMMARY

• Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive on trial for money laundering in Nigeria, appeared in court on crutches after being denied a wheelchair.
• His family stated that medical records confirm he requires surgery.
• The trial, initially scheduled for October 11, resumed on Monday with Gambaryan limping into the Abuja courtroom.

Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive confined in Nigeria since February, made a painful appearance in an Abuja courtroom on Monday, dragging his left leg behind him after jail authorities denied his request for a wheelchair. A video film uploaded to social media shows a troubled Gambaryan pleading with a jail guard for help as he struggled to walk on crutches. Despite medical records affirming he requires surgery for a herniated disc, Gambaryan was left to navigate the courtroom unaided, sparking reaction from his family and legal team.

The trial, which resumed before its initially planned date of October 11, has been full of controversy. Gambaryan’s legal counselors filed a new bail application on Monday, citing extreme medical conditions, counting pneumonia, malaria, and tonsillitis, that have worsened amid his six-month detainment. They argue that the Binance executive’s wellbeing has deteriorated to the point where he is nearly incapable of walking and that his basic human rights are being violated.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting Gambaryan for money laundering, opposed the bail application, claiming he is not in destitute well-being and has refused treatment. In any case, Gambaryan’s family insists that the authorities are withholding key medical records and denying him adequate care. Despite the prosecutor’s claims, part of Gambaryan’s medical records was displayed in court, demonstrating the pressing need for surgery. However, the family alleges that vital elements, such as an MRI scan, were missing from the records provided.

Gambaryan’s physical and mental well-being have been in fast decline amid his detainment at Kuje prison, where he has moreover been denied appropriate access to his attorneys and U.S. embassy staff. His spouse, Yuki, has called the circumstance “inhumane and degrading,” urging the U.S. government to mediate more forcefully. Yuki claims her spouse was tricked to Nigeria under pretenses and unlawfully detained, leaving him in a critical condition with negligible support. She criticizes the Nigerian government’s dismissal of her husband’s well-being issues, labeling their actions as a blatant disregard for law and human rights.

The judge directing the case ordered that Gambaryan be allowed to utilize a wheelchair and agreed to proceed with hearing the bail application when the trial resumes on Wednesday. In the meantime, Binance has joined the call for U.S. government intervention, urging the administration to apply political pressure on Nigeria to secure Gambaryan’s discharge on humanitarian grounds.

As the trial proceeds, the world watches closely. The result of this case could have noteworthy implications, not just for Gambaryan, but for international relations and the treatment of foreign nationals in legal frameworks overseas.