Nigeria releases American crypto executive after dropping money laundering case

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American cryptocurrency executive held in Nigeria for the past eight months has been released after authorities there announced that they were ending his money laundering trial on health and diplomatic grounds. Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, was freed on humanitarian parole and was returning to the United States to receive medical attention. That’s according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who expressed gratitude to the Nigerians for the release in a statement Thursday. Nigerian authorities had accused Binance and Gambaryan of using the platform to launder up to $35 million and to manipulate the local naira currency, which they deny.