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.

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