President Joe Biden has expressed his gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for facilitating the release of Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance Holdings executive who was on trial in Nigeria for alleged money laundering and currency-related offenses.

Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar shared details of the call, held on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja, highlighting that the two leaders discussed mutual areas of cooperation, particularly on security matters in Africa and West Africa. Tuggar explained that during the 30-minute conversation, Biden thanked Tinubu for Nigeria’s partnership in law enforcement efforts and for securing Gambaryan’s release.

The White House later issued a statement, noting Biden’s condolences regarding recent floods in northeastern Nigeria and acknowledging Tinubu’s humanitarian approach in securing Gambaryan’s release. “President Biden underscored his appreciation for President Tinubu’s leadership in securing the release on humanitarian grounds of American citizen and former U.S. law enforcement official Tigran Gambaryan,” the statement read.

Minister Tuggar affirmed that all legal procedures were followed in Gambaryan’s release. The Nigerian government dropped charges against Gambaryan last week after a prolonged trial, citing health reasons for his release. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced the withdrawal of charges in front of Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja. An EFCC attorney clarified that Gambaryan was merely an employee at Binance and not directly involved in the company’s financial operations.

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