••Government urges public to disregard Tigran Gambaryan’s claims against Nigerian lawmakers.
By Suleiman Ibrahim, Abuja.
The Federal Government has dismissed allegations made by Tigran Gambaryan, a Binance executive recently detained in Nigeria on financial crime charges, that three Nigerian lawmakers demanded a $150 million bribe from him.
Gambaryan, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), named Representatives Philip Agbese, Ginger Onwusibe, and Peter Akpanke as the lawmakers involved, claiming they solicited the bribe during a meeting in January 2024. He alleged the lawmakers staged the meeting to appear official, even setting up fake cameras, and that the bribe was requested in cryptocurrency. Gambaryan, however, provided no evidence to support his claims.
In response, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, issued a statement urging the public to disregard Gambaryan’s “outrageous allegations, misinformation, and defamatory statements.”
The government acknowledged Gambaryan’s initial visit to Nigeria, stating it was not officially involved. However, upon learning of the alleged bribery attempt, an investigation was immediately launched, despite no formal complaint being filed.
The statement clarified that Gambaryan’s subsequent visit was part of a broader investigation into the manipulation of the Nigerian currency through platforms like Binance. The government claimed investigators were “frustrated by the tactics deployed by Gambaryan and his team.”
The government emphasized that Gambaryan’s release in October 2024 was on humanitarian grounds and followed high-level diplomatic intervention that benefited Nigeria. They refuted Gambaryan’s claim that they accepted a $5 million down payment from Binance, stating they rejected it in favor 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,” the statement read.
The government asserted that Gambaryan’s allegations are “unsubstantiated” and “lack credibility,” citing his apparent motive to discredit those who brought him to justice. They expressed confidence in both the Nigerian and American judicial systems to provide Gambaryan a fair opportunity to substantiate his claims in court. Until then, the government advised the public to exercise caution and not be swayed by Gambaryan’s “unfounded and malicious claims.”
FG Dismisses Binance Executive’s $150m Bribe Allegations as “Falsehoods”
