President Bola Tinubu and his United States counterpart, Joe Biden, held a phone conversation on Tuesday to discuss the release of Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of finance crime compliance, and other bilateral issues.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, confirmed the 30-minute call, stating that it followed Gambaryan’s release on October 23 after spending eight months in detention.
In April, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had arraigned Binance and Gambaryan on charges of money laundering. However, during the October 23 court hearing, the federal government announced the withdrawal of all charges against him.
Tuggar said President Biden expressed gratitude to Tinubu for his efforts in securing Gambaryan’s release and appreciated Nigeria’s collaboration with US law enforcement.
“The two leaders exchanged pleasantries and President Biden preceded to thank President Tinubu for his partnership and for Nigeria’s partnership, in particular the collaboration between the two countries with regards to our law enforcement and law enforcement agencies as well as release of one of the suspects of the cryptocurrency exchange company Binance,” Tuggar said.
The Minister stressed that the legal delays were due to Nigeria’s commitment to due process.
“President Tinubu during the discussion even mentioned the similarities of the fact that our system of government is very similar to the United States system of government,” he said, adding that Tinubu assured Biden of continued adherence to the rule of law.
Both leaders agreed to deepen cooperation on intelligence sharing, technology, equipment supply, and training to enhance security efforts.
In addition, the conversation touched on Nigeria’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Tuggar revealed that Biden reiterated his support for Africa having two permanent seats on the council, saying, “The two leaders also discussed the issue of permanent seats, and the United Nations Security Council, and President Biden once again assured that the United States is committed to seeing Africa having two permanent seats.”
According to Tuggar, Biden also remarked that he saw no reason why one of the seats should not be occupied by Nigeria, given its strategic importance in Africa.
“He also reiterated that he does not see any reason why one of those seats should not belong to Nigeria, given its position in Africa, its stature, and its importance,” the minister said.
The conversation also covered Nigeria’s push to join the G20, with both leaders affirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.
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