In a significant development at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, September 2, Justice Emeka Nwite directed officials of the Kuje correctional facility to urgently provide a wheelchair for Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at Binance Holdings Limited.
The order was issued after Gambaryan, who is currently in custody, expressed deep frustration and distress over the inadequate medical care he has been receiving while detained.
The incident unfolded following a brief recess in the court proceedings. Upon returning to the courtroom, Justice Nwite was met by Gambaryan, who was struggling to walk with the help of crutches. The Binance executive, visibly agitated, informed the judge that his health had significantly worsened during his detention at Kuje, primarily due to the lack of appropriate medical attention. He disclosed that he has been living with a herniated disc for twelve years, a condition that has now deteriorated further due to his time in custody.
“My health has worsened since I was remanded here. I’ve been managing this condition for twelve years, but it’s now much worse because of the lack of proper medical care,” Gambaryan lamented. He added that despite his counsel’s request for a wheelchair, prison officials had refused to provide one, making it increasingly difficult for him to move around.
Concerned by the situation, Justice Nwite questioned the prison official present in the courtroom about the refusal to provide a wheelchair. Following a brief exchange, the judge ordered that a wheelchair be immediately provided for Gambaryan. The officials promptly complied, and Gambaryan was wheeled out of the courtroom.
Earlier in the session, Gambaryan’s counsel, Mark Mordi, SAN, had informed the court that his client’s health was rapidly declining due to the negligence of prison officials. He explained that Gambaryan was unable to walk without assistance and had endured severe pain while making his way into the courtroom on crutches. Mordi urged the judge to order the provision of a wheelchair to ease his client’s suffering.
“My Lord, we filed a bail application on August 28 regarding the second defendant’s health condition. My client’s health is deteriorating rapidly. He cannot move without assistance and was in tears as he struggled to get here this morning,” Mordi stated.
In response, the prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, accused Gambaryan of exaggerating the severity of his illness. He noted that the Office of the National Security Adviser had provided a copy of Gambaryan’s health records, which he claimed did not support the severity of the illness as described.
“I am puzzled as to why the prison officials have not presented the health records to the court,” Iheanacho added. He argued that Gambaryan had managed his condition for twelve years without it being life-threatening and now seemed to be exaggerating its seriousness.
The case, which also involves Binance’s regional manager for Africa, Nadeem Anjarwalla, has been adjourned until September 4 for the continuation of the trial. Gambaryan and Anjarwalla are facing money laundering charges totaling $35 million, brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Anjarwalla had previously escaped lawful custody, leaving Gambaryan as the sole detained defendant currently held at the Kuje correctional facility.
