After eight months in detention, Binance Holdings Limited’s executive, Tigran Gambaryan, has left Nigeria to reunite with his family in the U.S.
His wife, Yuki Gambaryan, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, a day after Mr Gambaryan left Kuje prison following the withdrawal of charges against him by the Nigerian government.
“Today, American citizen Tigran Gambaryan left Nigeria to return home to his family after eight months of unlawful detention”, said Mrs Gambaryan.
“It is a huge relief that this day has finally come. The past eight months have been a living nightmare. I wish it hadn’t taken this long for his release or that his health had not declined so much, but we can now focus on healing as a family”, Mrs Gambaryan added.
Mrs Gambaryan thanked the U.S. government and everyone who spoke up for the release of her husband while he was in detention.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the US government for their efforts in securing his release. I also want to thank everyone who helped us throughout this ordeal. There were moments I feared this day would never come, but Tigran’s supporters gave me hope and strength”, she said.
The Binance executive was detained in February when he and his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla were arrested following an official invitation from National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu on allegations that the firm was facilitating currency speculation that undermines the naira.
While Mr Anjarwalla managed to escape detention and leave Nigeria in March, Mr Gambaryan remained in custody until he was released on Wednesday.