The spat between Nigeria lawmakers and Binance crypto isn’t over, with the latest disclosure yesterday by its senior official – Mr.
Tigran Gambaryan insisting a $150 million bribe request saga by three lawmakers was true.
He said his claim on Friday was factual of what transpired.
He added that his post on Friday was nothing but the truth of what took place in Nigeria.
Recall that Gambaryan had taken to the micro blogging site, X, on Friday to name Philip Agbese, Ginger Onwusibe and Peter Akpanke, all members of the House of Representatives as the three prominent Nigerians, who demanded a bribe of $150million from him to forestall his arrest and prosecution over money laundering allegations.
The claim has since been dismissed by the lawmakers and the Federal Government.
Despite the denials, however, Gambaryan posted again on X yesterday that his claim was factual.
“What I shared was factual, based on my personal experiences and conversations with those who have direct knowledge of the events I discussed; information that was shared with both Nigerian and US law enforcement.
“So please, allow me to leave this behind and find peace”, he insisted.
He wrote, “I am no longer in law enforcement. The responsibility of seeing this through to a logical conclusion now falls on those still serving in United States and Nigeria.
“Many requested that I stay on and provide further commentary on the issues I posted about yesterday (Friday). Here’s the hard truth: what I shared was meant to fill in the gaps left by Wired and NPR’s reporting.
“The reality is that last year was incredibly painful for me and my family. I dedicated my life to fighting crime as a Special Agent with the United States Department of the Treasury and as a compliance professional. “It was an honour to serve my country and it was a blessing that they came to my rescue and mobilised the full force of the US Government when I was in need.
“Being dragged through court on outrageous, baseless, and trumped-up charges didn’t just hurt me, it also brought immense pain to my family.
“I don’t want to see my kids cry because I’m not around. I don’t want to see videos of my 75-year-old mother on television in tears. I don’t want to see my wife crying on TV. I want to put this nightmare behind me and move on.”
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has advised its members named in the $150million Binance bribery allegations to take legal steps to defend themselves.
Spokesperson to the House, Akin Rotimi, who disclosed this in a statement, said one of the members had already instituted a legal action against Binance.
He explained that the allegations were not directed at the entire House but to a few individual members.
“The House of Representatives has taken note of recent media reports concerning bribery allegations made by a Binance official. Given the gravity of these claims, it is necessary to state the institutional position of the House.
“As an independent arm of government, the House upholds due process, the rule of law, and constitutional oversight. These allegations, which have been previously circulated last year, are directed at individual members, not the institution itself.
“The Honourable Members named have assured the House Leadership that they never had any such dealings as reported. One of the members has already instituted legal action to clear his name, while others affected have been encouraged to do the same in pursuit of justice and the protection of their reputations.
“It is also important to highlight that, with the active involvement of both the Nigerian and United States governments, this matter has evolved into a government-to-government engagement. Notably, in the course of high-level diplomatic discussions, the Federal Government of Nigeria has prioritised national interest over external commercial pressure, including rejecting financial settlement offers from Binance.
“These facts raise serious questions about the credibility and intent of the allegations being peddled.
“As the matter is now before a court of competent jurisdiction and remains the subject of ongoing diplomatic engagements, the House will refrain from further comment in line with established parliamentary, judicial, and diplomatic principles.
“The House of Representatives urges the public to rely on verified facts and not be misled by recycled claims aimed at discrediting Nigerian institutions and public officials.
“The House remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of Nigeria’s democratic institutions”.
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes, Ginger Onwusibe has denied allegations of bribery made against him by Tigran Gambaryan, a senior executive of Binance.
He described the claims as false, malicious, and defamatory.
Onwusibe said he initially chose not to respond, as the matter is already before the court. However, given the widespread public reactions and what he described as the “unfair demonisation” of his person, his political party, and even his ethnic group, he felt compelled to address the allegations.
Onwusibe said that his committee began investigating Binance after receiving a petition from the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, a civil society organisation.
The petition alleged that Binance had engaged in financial and economic crimes that posed a threat to the Nigerian economy. In response, the committee invited Binance’s CEO, Richard Teng, to appear before a public hearing scheduled for January 10, 2024.
“However, before that date, Binance requested a pre-hearing meeting to better understand the allegations against them.” Onwusibe explained that the committee agreed to the request and scheduled the meeting for January 8, 2024, at the National Assembly complex. He was unable to attend due to other official engagements, so he delegated three committee members and a clerk to meet with Binance’s six-member team, which included legal counsel.
According to Onwusibe, the meeting was professional, transparent, and ended on a cordial note, with no demands for bribes.
“Despite agreeing to attend the public hearing, Binance’s CEO, Richard Teng, failed to appear on multiple occasions. Instead, the company sent legal representatives, a move the committee rejected. The hearing was postponed several times to accommodate Binance’s requests, but neither Teng nor any other senior Binance executive ever attended.” This, Onwusibe said, raised serious concerns about Binance’s willingness to cooperate with Nigerian authorities.
As the controversy grew, Onwusibe said he was surprised to discover, through a May 7, 2024, blog post by Richard Teng, that Binance executives were also under investigation by Nigeria’s security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). Teng’s post, titled “Tigran Gambaryan is Innocent and Must Be Released”, contained what Onwusibe described as defamatory claims against him. In response, he instructed his lawyer, Nnamdi U. Nwokocha Ahaaiwe, to demand an apology and damages. Binance, however, refused to retract the statements or offer any compensation.
On September 18, 2024, Onwusibe filed a lawsuit against Binance and Teng at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, seeking an apology, a retraction, and $3 billion in damages. The case, which first came up for hearing on January 22, 2025, is set to continue on February 19.
The lawmaker dismissed the latest allegations by Gambaryan, calling them a desperate attempt by Binance to deflect attention from its own legal troubles. He emphasized that neither he nor his committee coordinated with Nigerian security agencies in their investigation of Binance.
He also denied allegations that the DSS, ONSA, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), or the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) were involved in the legislative probe.
