$150m bribery allegation: Reps deputy spokesperson replies Binance executive

The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has threatened to take a legal action against Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of the cryptocurrency giant Binance following his bribery allegations.

Gambaryan had claimed that Agbese was among those who demanded $150 million bribe while he was facing a trial in Nigeria.

But the lawmaker while reacting, denied the allegation, referencing previous attempts to discredit him.

Agbese described the latest allegations as part of a broader campaign by foreign entities to undermine public officeholders perceived as nationalistic.

He subsequently issued an ultimatum to Gambaryan, demanding he either provide evidence or retract his claims within seven days or face legal consequences.

“These allegations are false,” Agbese stated.

“I was not part of any meeting with any Binance executive regarding money for any purpose. The leadership of the committee took the matter to court, and Binance has already apologised.”

Agbese also noted that he is not a member of the Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes.

According to him, he had only visited his colleague, Hon. Peter Ankpanke, during a meeting involving the committee and Binance representatives.

“It was during this visit to the office of Hon. Peter Ankpanke, with Hon. Peter Anekwe present, that I learned they were interfacing with the Binance team over a referral to their Committee,” he explained.

“I never saw those visitors again after that chance meeting and did not attend any further meetings with Binance executives, the EFCC, or the DSS.”

The lawmaker emphasised that any further questions regarding the issue should be directed to the committee, not to him.

He also made it clear that he has no involvement with cryptocurrency, stating, “I have never used any cryptocurrency, as I do not have a crypto wallet anywhere in the world, so I could not have asked for funds to be credited to a non-existent wallet.”

Agbese stressed that should Gambaryan fail to provide evidence of his claims, he would be left with no choice but to pursue legal action.

“I further demand that, failing to provide evidence, Tigran Gambaryan must retract his malicious claims and apologise to me within the next seven days or face legal action from my lawyers,” he said.