Binance's financial crimes compliance chief was denied bail for the second time on Friday as his trial on money laundering charges began in Nigeria, with a judge ruling that the prison he is being held in is capable of meet your medical needs.
Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen, has been detained in Nigeria since late February. He and Binance deny the charges against them.
He had asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to release him on medical grounds, arguing that he needed surgery outside prison and that his health was deteriorating.
“There is no evidence before this court that the Nigerian Correctional Service is unable to manage the health problems of the accused,” Judge Emeka Nwite said.
Nwite also said Gambaryan had not withdrawn an appeal against a previous bail decision in May, so his latest request “amounts to an abuse of the judicial process to admit the accused to bail pending an appeal in the appeals court.”
The judge adjourned the trial until Oct. 18 after Gambaryan's attorney questioned two state witnesses.
Gambaryan's wife, Yuki Gambaryan, said her husband should not be detained because he never made decisions at Binance and she would continue to fight for his freedom.
“I just pray that when he is finally released the damage he is suffering is not permanent. “I am exhausted and deeply disappointed,” she said in a statement.
Binance separately faces charges of tax evasion, which it denies.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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