Nigerian court defers bail for ailing Binance executive to October
A Nigerian court has postponed the decision on the bail application for detained Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan until Oct. 9.
Judge Emeka Nwite issued the ruling on Sept. 4 after hearing arguments from both Gambaryan’s lawyer, Mark Mordi, and the prosecuting counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, who opposed the bail request.
New bail application
On Sept. 2, Gambaryan’s lawyer had submitted a new bail application , citing medical reasons and his worsening health conditions. The American citizen reportedly suffers from malaria, pneumonia, tonsillitis, and complications from a herniated disc, which have severely impacted his ability to walk .
Due to this, Modi requested that the court grant Gambaryan bail for six weeks to treat himself.
Notably, a viral video recently showed Gambaryan limping into court , sparking widespread criticism from the crypto community. Critics condemned the Nigerian government’s handling of the situation, with Jeff Roberts, crypto editor at Fortune Magazine, stating :
“ Shame on Nigeria ‘s government. They took an innocent man hostage in a bid to extort Binance for $10 billion — and are now subjecting him to torture/humiliation.”
Gambaryan reportedly refused treatment
Local media outlet Nairametrics, citing a medical report from the State House Annex Clinic in Abuja, claimed that Gambaryan allegedly refused prescribed medications and food during his detention.
According to the report , a neurosurgeon had recommended medication, physiotherapy, and urgent lumbar discectomy surgery for Gambaryan after he reported long-standing back pain and anxiety, which he had been managing for 12 years.
However, Gambaryan expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment, insisting that a court had directed his care to be provided at Nizamiye Hospital. Consequently, he intermittently refused the prescribed treatment and food in an attempt to secure a transfer to the preferred hospital.
The report also noted that a medical report from the Nizamiye Hospital showed that Gambaryan had a “history of sinusitis and lung infection before his presentation” at the facility.
