Nigeria's Minister of Information, Mohamed Idris, has said that the trial of Binance and its executive, Tigran Gambaryan, for conducting illegal cryptocurrency transactions in Nigeria is in line with the country's legal process. He noted that Binance will have the opportunity to defend itself in court against serious financial crime charges, with the next hearing scheduled for June 20, 2024. The comments came after a dozen US politicians appealed to President Joe Biden, urging the US government to use hostage affairs to facilitate the release of Tigran Gambaryan, who was accused of a number of "unfounded" crimes, including money laundering and tax evasion, which they saw as part of a coercive campaign by Nigerian authorities to extort Binance.