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Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive, claimed Nigerian lawmakers Agbese, Onwusibe, and Akpanke requested a $150 million bribe, but provided no evidence
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Minister Idris dismissed Gambaryan’s claims as false and retaliatory, clarifying that Nigeria rejected Binance’s $5 million offer in favor of a better agreement
The Federal Government of Nigeria has responded to claims made by Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, regarding an alleged $150 million bribe request from three Nigerian lawmakers.
Gambaryan, who was detained in Nigeria for eight months over corruption allegations, claimed in a post on X that lawmakers Philip Agbese, Ginger Onwusibe, and Peter Akpanke had demanded the sum. However, he failed to provide evidence to back his accusations.
He alleged that the lawmakers staged a meeting with fake cameras and requested the bribe in cryptocurrency.
Reacting to the claims, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, urged Nigerians to ignore what he described as baseless accusations.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria notes with concern the outrageous allegations, misinformation, and defamatory statements being spread by Tigran Gambaryan, an American Binance official recently tried for financial crimes in Nigeria,” Idris stated.
He added that while the government initially refrained from engaging Gambaryan due to high-level diplomatic interventions, it became necessary to set the record straight to prevent misinformation.
Idris clarified that Gambaryan’s first visit to Nigeria was discretionary and not officially arranged by the government. However, when a bribery allegation surfaced, an investigation was initiated despite no formal complaint being lodged.
The Minister also revealed that Gambaryan’s second visit was linked to a broader probe into manipulating the Nigerian currency through peer-to-peer platforms like Binance. However, investigators encountered resistance from Gambaryan and his team.
Gambaryan was eventually released in October 2024 on humanitarian grounds following diplomatic negotiations that resulted in favourable outcomes for Nigeria. The government, he noted, rejected Binance’s $5 million offer for Gambaryan’s release in favour of a more beneficial agreement with the American government.
Idris firmly dismissed Gambaryan’s allegations as retaliatory and urged the public to disregard them, emphasizing that his claims lacked credibility.
He affirmed that Nigerian and American judicial systems would offer Gambaryan a fair opportunity to prove his claims in court. Until then, the public is advised to remain cautious and not be misled by his unverified accusations.