Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, who has been detained in Nigeria since February, submitted a fresh bail request on Monday due to medical concerns.
However, the country’s economic crimes agency opposed the application. Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, along with Binance’s British-Kenyan regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, have been charged with laundering more than $35 million.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, is also facing separate accusations of tax evasion.
Lawyer Mark Mordi told a High Court in Abuja that he submitted a new bail application for Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, due to his deteriorating health in prison.
Gambaryan’s initial bail request was denied in May. He claims to suffer from a herniated disc, causing significant neck and back pain, as well as recurring bouts of malaria and pneumonia.
Appearing in court with crutches, Tigran Gambaryan informed the judge that prison officials had denied him a wheelchair.
However, a lawyer representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which is handling the money laundering case, contested Gambaryan’s claim of poor health, noting that he has had a herniated disc for over a decade.
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