Binance has clarified that Tigran Gambaryan, an American employee currently detained in Nigeria, holds no managerial position within the company but rather serves as a law enforcement officer.
The statement came in response to inquiries regarding Gambaryan's role following his arrest in February on suspicion of involvement in money laundering activities, along with his colleague Nadeem Anjarwalla.
The firm, along with the two employees, faced charges of $35.4 million in money laundering at the Federal High Court in Abuja. While Gambaryan remains in custody, Anjarwalla managed to escape and flee the country.
Binance has not yet responded to inquiries regarding Anjarwalla's whereabouts. In a statement, the company emphasized Gambaryan's law enforcement background and his role in addressing compliance issues within Binance since his hiring in 2021.
Gambaryan was appointed as the head of Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance team to address past compliance concerns and has since advocated for transparent regulatory financial practices. The team's efforts have led to the freezing and seizing of over $2.2 billion worth of assets globally, including substantial cooperation with United States agencies such as the FBI, DOJ, and DEA.
Binance highlighted Gambaryan's contributions to training Nigerian law enforcement officials on the role of exchanges in the digital asset ecosystem. This included conducting workshops and training sessions for officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, demonstrating the company's vision to boost compliance and good governance practices.
