Federal Gov’t Dismisses Binance Executive’s Bribery Accusations
The Nigerian federal government has strongly dismissed allegations made by Tigran Gambaryan, a US personnel of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, accusing three Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe from him. Gambaryan, who was recently detained and tried in Nigeria for financial crimes, made the claims, but the lawmakers have denied the accusations.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, Mohammed Idris, Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, condemned the bribery allegations, describing them as false and urging Nigerians and the international community to disregard them. He referred to Gambaryan’s statements as unsubstantiated and lacking credibility, suggesting that the accusations were part of a retaliatory effort aimed at discrediting and intimidating Nigerian officials involved in his case.
“We categorically deny the retaliatory claims made by Mr. Gambaryan against Nigerian officials involved in his case, and we urge the public to disregard these false accusations in their entirety,” Idris said. He further emphasized that Gambaryan’s allegations appeared to be an attempt to avoid justice.
The Minister also expressed confidence that both Nigerian and American judicial systems would provide Gambaryan with a fair opportunity to substantiate his claims in court. Until then, he urged the public to remain cautious and not be influenced by what he called “unfounded and malicious claims” made by the Binance executive.
