The Head of Financial Crime Compliance at Binance, a cryptocurrency firm, Tigran Gambaryan has accused three Nigerian lawmakers of bribery. Gambaryan claimed that the accused demanded a bribe of $150 million from him.
The Binance boss, who spent eight months in a Nigerian detention facility for alleged corruption, took to his official X handle to make this revelation on Friday.
Recall that the Nigerian authorities in February 2024, detained Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a 37-year-old British Kenyan who serves as the regional manager for Africa at Binance.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had charged both of them with money laundering involving $35 million. While Anjarwalla managed to escape custody in March, Gambaryan gained his freedom in October, following the intervention of the United States government.
Ribadu requested for funds to support future political ambition – Gambaryan
However, Gambaryan, while in detention, revealed that the National Adviser on Security to the Nigerian president, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu requested for bribe. He explained how Ribadu insisted on collecting “billions in payout” to support his future political ambition.
Furthermore, the Binance executive explained how some members of the House of Representatives also demanded bribes from him. He shed light on the claim in his X post, naming Philip Agbese, Ginger Onwusibe, and Peter Akpanke as the lawmakers who allegedly demanded the huge sum from him.
Also, Gambaryan mentioned the involvement of the Department of State Security Services in the issue.
He recalled how the DSS held a discussion in their office with the lawmakers on 5 January 2024, as a prerequisite to meeting with the House of Representatives.
He recounted meeting with three members of the House of Representatives, Akpanke and Agbese who were both working under the leadership of Onwusibe. Gambaryan noted that there was another lawmaker present, whose name he couldn’t recall.
Furthermore, he alleged that they set up fake cameras and media to portray an official meeting. The meeting however ended with the other party demanding a $150 million bribe worth of cryptocurrencies with instructions that it should be paid into their personal wallets.
However, Agbese, who is also the Deputy Spokesman of the House, has reacted to these accusations while speaking with Punch online. He challenged the Binance boss to back up his claims with evidence or face the consequences of his actions.
He added that he only met the Binance representatives during his visit to the office of Akpanke and never crossed paths with them after that day. Agbese explained that he has no crypto wallet, therefore, there was no way he could have asked for fund to a non-existing crypto wallet.
The Deputy Spokesman requested that Gambaryan either provide evidence for this accusation or retract his defamatory statements while apologizing within the next seven days; otherwise, the Binance executive will face legal action from his lawyers.
