(Bloomberg) – The chief of compliance with the financial crime of Binance Holdings Ltd., Tigran Gambaryan, who was detained last year in Nigeria for about eight months, leaves the largest crypto exchange in the world.
Gambaryan was released for humanitarian reasons in October after her health deteriorated when she was in prison. Former American internal income agent, who joined Binance in 2021, had been detained on allegations of money laundering and the manipulation of money when he went to Nigeria on behalf of Binance. The Nigerian government has abandoned the charges against Gambaryan.
Gambaryan said in a message to Bloomberg News that Friday was his last day.
“Tigran had a lasting impact on the Binance, just as he did in his previous roles in the application of laws,” said a spokesperson for Binance in a statement. “We are deeply grateful for its dedication to transforming our organization of compliance with financial crimes. Thanks to its tireless efforts, the cryptography industry is safer for everyone. ”
Binance’s chief executive officer Richard Teng said in a blog publication that the company had been invited to “secret” payment to make his problems disappear. Nigeria rejected the allegation of corruption.
When Gambaryan worked for the American government, he obtained the nickname “crypto wizard” for his experience in tracing illegal crypto transactions. His work at Binance mainly consisted in helping the cabinet improve anti-whiteness protocols and helping the world’s police in major assets at the time when the greatest exchange of crypto has undergone increased regulatory pressure in the world.
Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States decided to end its legal battle against Binance. The regulator and the co-founder of the exchange, Changpeng Zhao, filed a joint request on May 29 to suspend the case before the American district court of the District of Columbia.
The SEC continued Binance in June 2023, alleging that the company and Zhao have poorly managed customer funds, misleading investors and regulators and violated American securities. The regulator also accused Binance of offering unregistered titles to American investors.
Binance and Zhao in November 2023 pleaded guilty to separate the accusations that she raped anti-money laundering and American sanctions, the company agreeing to pay $ 4.3 billion. Zhao also agreed to pay a fine of $ 50 million and resign as CEO. He served four months in an American prison.
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