Jailed Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan has accused four members of the Nigerian House of Representatives of allegedly asking Binance for a $150 million bribe in 2024 while fingering Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, of wanting billions in payouts to fund his future political ambitions.
In a tweet on Friday, the head of Binance’s investigations team, who spent eight months in detention revealed that the cryptocurrency platform held a meeting with three members of the house who wanted a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets.
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“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. As you may already know, this ended with them asking for a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets. A Mickey Mouse operation at its best,” he tweeted.
In May of 2024, Richard Teng, Binance’s chief executive officer, alleged that the company had been asked to pay $150 million to make its troubles disappear. “On a trip to Nigeria in January, Tigran Gambaryan, a compliance officer for the giant cryptocurrency exchange Binance, received an unsettling message: The company had 48 hours to make a payment of roughly $150 million in crypto,” he alleged.
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The Federal Government has since denied this, with Rabiu Ibrahim, the Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, stating, “This claim by Binance CEO lacks any iota of substance. It is nothing but a diversionary tactic and an attempted act of blackmail by a company desperate to obfuscate the grievous criminal charges it is facing in Nigeria.”
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