Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, has accused three Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe from him.
His claims follow months of detention by Nigerian authorities, who accused Binance of facilitating money laundering and financial crimes.
The case later escalated into a diplomatic matter, with the U.S. government intervening to secure his release.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Gambaryan identified the lawmakers as Peter Akpanke, Philip Agbese (Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives), and Ginger Obinna Onwusibe (Chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption).
Alleged Bribery Setup
Gambaryan alleged that the demand took place during what was presented as an official meeting with House of Representatives members. However, he claimed the meeting was staged, with fake cameras set up to create an illusion of legitimacy.
“The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We first met with them at their office on January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite for our meeting with lawmakers. They hinted that we needed to comply with whatever the House members instructed us to do.
At the House meeting, three members were present: Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese, both under the leadership of Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. There was a third lawmaker whose name I don’t recall. The setup included fake cameras and media to make it look official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in. In the end, they demanded a $150 million bribe, to be paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets,” he alleged.
Challenging Binance-Related Accusations
Gambaryan also refuted Nigeria’s allegations that Binance enabled the illegal transfer of $26 billion, calling it a deliberate misrepresentation.
“The claim that $26 billion left Nigeria through Binance is completely false. This figure was simply the total trading volume of Nigerian users on the platform. If someone trades $100 a hundred times, that amounts to $10,000 in trade volume, but in reality, they only used $100. The authorities knew this but still manipulated the narrative to justify their bogus investigation,” he stated.
Anjarwalla’s Escape and Privacy Concerns
He also dismissed reports that another detained Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, escaped during mosque prayers. While confirming Anjarwalla’s eventual escape, he suggested that Nigerian authorities were not transparent about how it happened.
Gambaryan further accused Nigerian officials of attempting to force Binance into violating international privacy laws by demanding user data on all Nigerian accounts. According to him, the authorities intended to use this information to target political opponents allegedly involved in currency speculation.
“They wanted us to hand over data to track opposition figures they blamed for manipulating the naira. But they all knew the currency’s devaluation was a direct consequence of President Tinubu’s monetary policy, which removed government control over exchange rates. Instead of accepting responsibility, they made Binance the scapegoat,” he alleged.
Gambaryan’s revelations have intensified concerns about corruption and the misuse of power within Nigeria’s political system. While the Nigerian government has not officially responded to the allegations, the situation continues to draw international scrutiny.