Peach Tree Times

On April 30, during a House Foreign Affairs Committee roundtable about U.S. citizens detained abroad, Congressman Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) urged the U.S. government to work towards securing the release of his constituent, Tigran Gambaryan. Gambaryan, a former IRS Special Agent, has been in detention by the Nigerian government since February 26.

"Firstly, my thoughts and prayers are with Tigran Gambaryan and his wife Yuki, his two children, and the entire family for the pain and suffering they have endured throughout this time of tigran's unjust detention," said McCormick. "Tigran belongs at home in the arms of his loved ones, and I believe that our duty is to dedicate every possible resource to ensure his safe and expedient return home to the United States."

During the roundtable, McCormick represented Gambaryan on behalf of his wife, Yuki, according to a video recording of the event. In a prepared statement read by McCormick, Yuki described her husband's detention by the Nigerian government as a "grave injustice". She explained that Gambaryan had traveled to Nigeria following an invitation from Nigerian officials - a common occurrence in his role as head of financial crime compliance for the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. "However, 24 hours after his arrival, he was arrested and detained without charge or explanation," said Yuki in her statement. She claimed that the charges later "fabricated" against Gambaryan by the Nigerian government are "utterly baseless". "He was lured into the country under false pretenses only to be arrested due to some vendetta against his employer, and now my whole family is being caught in the crossfire," she said. According to Yuki, her husband spent ten years working as a special agent for the US federal government where he investigated cases involving tax evasion, money laundering, identity theft among other crimes. She stated that her husband is now being used as a "bargaining chip."

According to DL News report on Gambaryan's trial process, it has been plagued with multiple procedural delays. On May 22nd, Nigerian officials failed to bring Gambaryan to court for a scheduled appearance. The following day saw Gambaryan fainting in court due to deteriorating health conditions attributed to spending eight weeks in a Nigerian prison, as reported by his lawyer.

Daniel Eriksson, CEO of Transparency International, an anti-corruption nonprofit organization, was quoted by West Africa Wire stating that victims can be barred from seeking justice in countries that are impacted by corruption. The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International ranked Nigeria 145 out of 180 countries in terms of corruption, with 180 being the most corrupt. Reports have emerged about instances of bribery, extortion, and political meddling within Nigeria's justice system.

A report dated April 30 from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted a heightened risk of "corruption, fraud, mismanagement or unauthorized use of U.S. aid funds" in Nigeria. The report identified several risks impacting Nigeria including piracy, corruption, weapons and narcotics trafficking, "misrule," and armed banditry which result in "serious social, economic, and security challenges" undermining the legitimacy of the Nigerian government. It also noted "widespread and complex corruption" affecting Nigeria's political and security sectors with instances of extortion.

According to information available on McCormick's official website, McCormick is a Republican lawmaker and physician who has been serving Georgia's 6th congressional district since 2023. This district encompasses several northern Atlanta suburbs.