[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1348 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1348

    Urging the Government of Nigeria to immediately release Tigran 
                      Gambaryan from imprisonment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2024

   Mr. McCormick (for himself and Mr. Hill) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Urging the Government of Nigeria to immediately release Tigran 
                      Gambaryan from imprisonment.

Whereas Tigran Gambaryan is a citizen of the United States, a resident of 
        Georgia, and a former Federal agent;
Whereas Tigran Gambaryan worked for the Internal Revenue Service for over 10 
        years, investigating highly public crimes and seizing over 
        $4,000,000,000 in illicit funds on behalf of the United States 
        Government;
Whereas Tigran Gambaryan, on the date of his detainment, was employed by Binance 
        Holdings Limited (Binance) as the Head of Financial Crime Compliance;
Whereas, on February 26, 2024, Tigran Gambaryan traveled to the Federal Republic 
        of Nigeria at the invitation of the Nigerian Government for high-level 
        meetings regarding Binance's compliance issues with the country;
Whereas the meetings became increasingly hostile, and Tigran Gambaryan was 
        escorted by armed guards to his hotel room where he was forced to pack 
        his belongings and surrender his passport;
Whereas Tigran Gambaryan was then moved to a Nigerian Government-owned house, 
        known as the ``Guest House'' where he was detained for 5 days without 
        the ability to inform his family, company, attorneys, or the Department 
        of State of his situation;
Whereas, on March 12, 2024, the court order that had been obtained by the 
        Nigerian authorities to detain Tigran Gambaryan for 14 days had expired;
Whereas, on March 20, 2024, the Chief Court 1 of the Magistrate Court of the 
        Federal Capital Territory (Abuja, Nigeria) stated that ``the remand 
        order has not been extended'', despite adjourning to April 5, 2024, for 
        a ruling;
Whereas, from March 12, 2024, to April 5, 2024, there was no Nigerian legal 
        basis for the continued detention of Tigran Gambaryan;
Whereas, on April 5, 2024, Tigran Gambaryan was charged with several crimes, 
        including tax evasion and money laundering, along with his employer, 
        Binance, and was subsequently transferred to the notorious Kuje Prison, 
        which is known for its harsh conditions and also holds members of the 
        terrorist group Boko Haram;
Whereas the Department of State released a 2023 report on the human rights 
        situation, including prison conditions, in Nigeria, that highlighted 
        credible reports of significant human rights abuses, including the 
        ``inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government; harsh 
        and life-threatening prison conditions; arbitrary arrest or detention; 
        serious problems with the independence of the judiciary'';
Whereas, on May 14, 2024, Tigran was denied bail after lengthy delays and 
        stalling tactics by the prosecution;
Whereas, during Tigran's detainment, he has been unable to speak privately with 
        his attorneys, family, or the embassy staff of the United States;
Whereas the Government of Nigeria is wrongfully detaining Tigran Gambaryan, in 
        accordance with the criteria described in section 302(a) of the Robert 
        Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (22 
        U.S.C. 1741(a)), in order to extort Binance;
Whereas the Nigerian Information Minister Mohammed Idris was quoted in a 
        telephone interview as saying, ``they [Binance] have committed a 
        crime'';
Whereas the Government of Nigeria has admitted openly in court that Tigran is 
        being tried in lieu of pursuing legal action against his employer;
Whereas, on April 24, the Nigerian Government pleaded with the judge to deny 
        bail, stating, ``The 1st defendant (Binance) is operating virtually. The 
        only thing we have to hold on to is this defendant (Tigran). So, we 
        pray, My Lord, to refuse bail to the defendant'';
Whereas Tigran Gambaryan's health has been declining during his detention in 
        Kuje Prison;
Whereas repeated requests for doctor visits have been slow to be fulfilled, and 
        when a doctor did visit, Tigran was referred to a specialist rather than 
        be treated by that doctor;
Whereas, on May 22, 2024, Tigran was absent from a court hearing and neither the 
        court, the prosecutors, nor his defense team were aware of his 
        whereabouts or conditions;
Whereas the court received no response from the prison and was forced to 
        postpone his hearing;
Whereas, on May 23, 2024, Tigran appeared in court for a hearing and was slumped 
        over in his chair and when called to step forward, Tigran could not 
        stand on his own and collapsed to the floor;
Whereas Tigran tested positive for malaria and has been unable to receive proper 
        treatment as his requests for hospital treatment were delayed despite a 
        May 23, 2024, order by the judge that he be released from Kuje Prison 
        and admitted to a hospital for proper medical care;
Whereas, on June 4, 2024, Tigran was transferred to a private hospital for 5 
        hours to receive treatment and was immediately returned to Kuje Prison;
Whereas Tigran's case at the Federal Inland Revenue Service was closed and all 
        tax-related charges were dropped;
Whereas the Court determined that Gambaryan was not a representative of Binance 
        and all orders requiring service of court processes be nullified;
Whereas, as of June 14, 2024, Tigran remains the subject of charges filed 
        against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission despite 
        concerns for his health and requests to release him on humanitarian 
        grounds;
Whereas a congressional delegation visited Tigran on June 20, 2024, and remains 
        concerned about his treatment;
Whereas, on June 21, 2024, Tigran's lawyer informed the court that the Turkish 
        Hospital where Tigran was treated refused to obey the court order to 
        release Tigran's medical report and the judge again directed that 
        Tigran's medical record be released;
Whereas Tigran's detainment has been ongoing since February of 2024, the court 
        typically takes a recess from mid-July to September; and
Whereas if Tigran's case is not resolved by mid-July, he may remain in detention 
        for an even longer undue period of time: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) urges the Government of Nigeria to immediately release 
        Tigran Gambaryan from imprisonment;
            (2) urges the United States Government to utilize all 
        resources available to secure the release of Tigran Gambaryan, 
        and to raise the case of Tigran and press for his immediate 
        release in all interactions with the Government of Nigeria;
            (3) urges the United States Government to formally declare 
        Tigran Gambaryan as a ``U.S. citizen wrongfully detained by a 
        foreign government'' pursuant to section 302(a) of the Robert 
        Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act 
        (22 U.S.C. 1741(a));
            (4) urges the Government of Nigeria to provide full, 
        unfettered, and consistent consular access, in accordance with 
        its international obligations, to Tigran Gambaryan while he 
        remains in detention;
            (5) urges the Government of Nigeria to provide unrestricted 
        medical access to Tigran Gambaryan and ensure he is swiftly 
        provided all medical care, including prescriptions and 
        antimalarials, as needed;
            (6) calls on the Government of Nigeria to provide Tigran 
        Gambaryan and all other political prisoners their 
        constitutionally afforded due process rights and universally 
        recognized human rights; and
            (7) expresses sympathy for and solidarity with Tigran 
        Gambaryan's wife, Yuki Gambaryan, his entire family, and all 
        other citizens of the United States and lawful permanent 
        residents wrongfully detained abroad for the personal hardship 
        experienced as a result of the arbitrary and baseless arrest 
        and detention of their loved ones.
                                 <all>