Binance Saga: Why Biden refused to meet Tinubu during UNGA – Gambaryan

Binance’s head of financial crime, Tigran Gambaryan, has alleged that his unlawful arrest by the Nigerian government made former US President Joe Biden avoid a meeting he planned to have with President Bola Tinubu during the 2024 UN General Assembly (UNGA).

He blamed National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu for the situation and said the US government also reduced the size of the Nigerian delegation that could attend the annual global assembly.

“Ribadu acting like an asshole angered the White House and led to diplomatic repercussions—the US limited visas to the Nigerian delegation for UNGA, and Biden refused to meet with Tinubu until my situation was resolved,” Mr Gambaryan posted on X on Thursday, recounting his experience with senior government officials and law enforcement authorities.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Nigerian presidency announced last August that then-US President Joe Biden had shown interest in meeting with President Tinubu on the sidelines of UNGA.

“President Joe Biden is asking to meet with you on the sidelines of UNGA, and you are the only African leader he has requested to meet,” then US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Molly Phee was quoted as telling Mr Tinubu in Abuja.

However, the meeting did not hold during the UNGA leading to criticism by Nigerian opposition leaders who said the American leader boycotted his Nigerian counterpart.

However, a spokesperson of Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, responded to the criticism by saying that the meeting was not held during UNGA because both leaders had met at a separate event.

Mr Gambaryan’s Friday statement suggests that the former US president did indeed avoid the planned meeting.

The detention

Last year, the Nigerian government detained Mr Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, another Binance official, on allegations of money laundering and tax evasion by the crypto firm.

While Mr Anjarwalla escaped custody in March, Mr Gambaryan was detained until October 2024, when Nigeria dropped the charges against him following the US government’s intervention.

Narrating his ordeal and Nigeria’s interaction with the US, the American said Mr Ribadu’s actions angered the US government.

He also alleged that Mr Ribadu, a highly decorated former anti-corruption chief, sought to profit from the controversy.

“Ribadu emphasized that he wanted billions in payouts to fund his future political ambition,” he claimed.

PREMIUM TIMES reached out to the NSA’s spokesperson, Zakari Mijinyawa, for a reaction to the allegations. He did not return calls nor reply to WhatsApp messages sent to him.

“In the end, Ribadu overestimated his influence. They thought they could secure a quick win, but instead, they created an international incident, exposing his incompetence on a global scale,” Mr Gambaryan said.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the Binance official named three Nigerian lawmakers who allegedly demanded a $150 million bribe from him.

In his tweet, he also accused the Nigerian government of demanding citizens’ data from cryptocurrency companies to target members of opposition political parties.

“They tried to use us (Binance) to violate international privacy laws by demanding user data on all Nigerians to target opposition members allegedly ‘manipulating the price of the naira,” he said.