Gambaryan stands by $150m bribery allegations amid FG’s ‘falsehood’ claims

The Binance executive, detained in Nigeria for eight months over allegations of money laundering, Tigran Gambaryan, has shed more light on the circumstances surrounding his detention.

The Guardian had earlier reported details of Gambaryan’s detention in Nigeria and how officials demanded bribes, culled from his interview with Wired, a U.S.-based news publication.

He described the detention as illegal, noting that the court order for their detention had expired, yet Nigerian officials continued holding them illegally.

On Friday, Gambaryan identified Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese as two out of the three lawmakers present at the House meeting, which ended with them demanding a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets, “to make Binance’s problems in Nigeria go away.”

He noted that fake cameras were set up to make the meeting appear official when, in reality, it wasn’t.

He said, “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.”

While speaking about Nadeem Anjarwalla, the second Binance executive who was detained alongside him and accused of escaping detention by Nigerian officials, Gambaryan said he did not escape during mosque prayers, as the government had announced.

He added, “They lied about Nadeem escaping during mosque prayers. In reality, he returned and escaped afterward. I don’t know exactly how he managed to flee.

“He emailed me in November, but we haven’t discussed the details of his escape. It’s possible he paid someone off, but I have no proof.”

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According to Gambaryan, the naira’s devaluation was not a result of Binance’s operations, as the President Bola Tinubu administration made it seem, but rather a result of President Tinubu’s monetary policy.

He added that the cryptocurrency firm was only used as a scapegoat by the government to exonerate itself.

He also accused the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, of demanding billions to fund his future political ambition and embarrassing Nigeria in front of U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Gambaryan further noted that Ribadu’s actions led to diplomatic repercussions, such as the U.S. limiting visas for the Nigerian delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and former U.S. President Joe Biden refusing to meet with President Tinubu until his situation was resolved.

He said, “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.”

Hours after he made these revelations, the Federal Government issued a press statement accusing him of peddling falsehoods and making derogatory statements.

Two days after this, Gambaryan still stands by his words.

He appreciated Rich McCormick, French Hill, Chrissy Houlahan, and Brian Fitzpatrick in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The mentioned names are US lawmakers who stood by him during his detention and aided his release.