Tigran Gambaryan, a senior Binance official, has accused three Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe to prevent his arrest and prosecution. Gambaryan, who was detained in Nigeria for months over allegations of money laundering and enabling criminal activities, made the claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
He named the lawmakers as Peter Akpanke, Philip Agbese, and Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. Ironically, Onwusibe serves as the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, while Agbese is the deputy spokesperson of the House.
“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,” Gambaryan stated. “They alluded to the fact that we had to comply with whatever the House members instructed us to do.”
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According to Gambaryan, when he met with the lawmakers, they created a staged environment to make it appear official.
“At the House meeting, there were three members present. Two of them were Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese, both working under the leadership of Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. There was a third House member, but I don’t recall his name. They set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in,” he alleged.
He claimed that at the end of the meeting, the lawmakers demanded a $150 million bribe to be paid in cryptocurrency to their personal wallets.
“A Mickey Mouse operation at its best,” Gambaryan remarked, ridiculing the alleged setup.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has previously denied claims of bribery in its dealings with Binance officials. Efforts to get reactions from the accused lawmakers are ongoing.
Gambaryan did not provide concrete evidence to support his allegations, and independent verification of his claims has not yet been made. PREMIUM TIMES reported that he was released after the U.S. government intervened, leading Nigerian authorities to drop charges against him.