The federal government has urged Nigerians to ignore the bribery allegation peddled by a Binance executive, Mr Tigran Gambaryan who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes.
Recall that Gambaryan, who is a United States citizen, was arrested and detained in February 2024 following the clampdown on the cryptocurrency firm for alleged money laundering and manipulation of the naira and
The money laundering charges were eventually dropped by the federal government.
However, while recounting his eight-month ordeal, Gambaryan alleged on his X post that the house of representatives members, Messrs Philip Agbese, Ginger Onwusibe and Peter Akpanke, allegedly demanded the huge sum from him.
Although he did not provide the details to prove his allegation, the Binance chief said: “The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We met with them at their office on Friday, January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite to our meeting with the house of representatives. They alluded to the fact that we had to comply with whatever the House members instructed us to do.
“At the House meeting, there were three members present. Two of them were Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese, both working under the leadership of Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. There was a third House member, but I don’t recall his name.
“They set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in. As you may already know, this ended with them asking for a $150m bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets. A micky mouse operation at its best.”
Reacting to Gambaryan’s claims, the minister of information and national orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris said in a statement that the federal government “is hesitant to engage Gambaryan, given the high-level diplomatic intervention that resolved his case.”
Nevertheless, the minister said Gambaryan’s allegations “are not only unsubstantiated but also lack credibility, given his apparent motive to discredit and intimidate those who ensured he faced justice.”
The statement reads: “The Federal Government of Nigeria notes with concern the outrageous allegations, misinformation, and defamatory statements being disseminated by Tigran Gambaryan, an American personnel of Binance who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes.
“While the Federal Government of Nigeria is hesitant to engage Mr Gambaryan, given the high-level diplomatic intervention that resolved his case, we are obliged to set the records straight to stop his falsehoods from gaining ground.
“The first visit by Mr. Gambaryan and his colleagues to Nigeria was discretional on their part and the government was not officially involved. However, when the attention of the government was called to an alleged bribery demand during that trip, an investigation was immediately opened into it, though there was no formal complaint by anyone.
“Mr. Gambaryan’s second visit to Nigeria was part of a wider probe into the criminal manipulation of the Nigerian currency through peer-to-peer platforms like Binance, but investigators were frustrated by the tactics deployed by Gambaryan and his team.
“Mr. Gambaryan was released by the Nigerian government in October 2024 on humanitarian grounds and following a high-level diplomatic intervention that ended with tangible benefits for Nigeria. The government rejected Binance’s offer of a $5 million down payment in exchange for Mr. Gambaryan’s freedom, in favour of a more beneficial settlement with the American government.
“We categorically deny the retaliatory claims made by Mr. Gambaryan against Nigerian officials involved in his case, and we urge the public to disregard these false accusations in their entirety.
“It is essential to note that Mr. Gambaryan’s allegations are not only unsubstantiated but also lack credibility, given his apparent motive to discredit and intimidate those who ensured he faced justice.
“However, we are confident that both the Nigerian and American judicial systems will provide Mr. Gambaryan with a fair opportunity to substantiate his claims in court. Until then, we advise the public to exercise caution and not be swayed by Mr. Gambaryan’s unfounded and malicious claims.”
