Kehinde Fajobi
Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s Financial Crime Compliance Head, has publicly accused three Nigerian lawmakers of attempting to extort a $150 million bribe during his detention in the country.
Gambaryan, who was detained for eight months on charges of money laundering before being released due to U.S. intervention, identified Philip Agbese, Ginger Onwusibe, and Peter Akpanke as the lawmakers behind the alleged demand.
On his verified X account, Gambaryan shared the details of the encounter, stating, “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.”
He further recounted the meeting at the House, mentioning that Agbese, Akpanke, and Onwusibe were the individuals present.
“They set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in. This ended with them asking for a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency to their personal wallets. A Mickey Mouse operation at its best.”
Agbese responded to the allegations, rejecting them as false and demanding Gambaryan present evidence or face legal consequences.
He stated, “I am outraged by the false allegations made by Tigran Gambaryan, claiming I was involved in demanding a bribe from him.
“These claims are untrue. I was not part of any meeting regarding money, and the leadership of the committee took the matter to court, with Binance later apologising”, he told The Punch.
Agbese clarified that although he had visited Akpanke’s office, he was not involved in any bribery activity.
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“I’ve never used cryptocurrency, nor do I have a crypto wallet. I could not have asked for funds to be transferred to a non-existent wallet.”
He demanded that Gambaryan either provide proof of the accusations or publicly retract his statements and apologise within seven days, warning of legal action if the request was not met.
Onwusibe, who leads the House Committee on Anti-Corruption, declined to comment, noting he had already addressed the issue publicly last year. Attempts to reach Akpanke for his statement were unsuccessful.