Tigran Gambaryan, the head of financial crime at crypto firm Binance, who was detained in Nigeria for several months, has named three Nigerian lawmakers who allegedly demanded a $150 million bribe from him.
Gambaryan and another Binance official were held by the Nigerian government, which accused their company of money laundering and fostering criminal activity in the country.
He was released after the charges were dropped, following intervention from the U.S. government.
Read Also: My Ordeal In EFCC’s Hands – Gambaryan
While detained, Gambaryan claimed that some lawmakers sought bribes from him to prevent his arrest and prosecution.
On Friday, he identified the lawmakers in a post on X (formerly Twitter), naming Peter Akpanke, Philip Agbese, and Ginger Obinna Onwusibe.
Ironically, Onwusibe is the head of the House of Representatives Committee on anti-corruption, while Agbese serves as the deputy spokesperson of the House.
Efforts are underway to get the accused lawmakers to comment, but the House has previously denied any allegations of bribery.
In his post, Gambaryan provided specifics about the bribe demand, including the date and the conditions under which it was made.
“The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We met with them at their office on Friday, January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite to our meeting with the House of Representatives. They alluded to the fact that we had to comply with whatever the House members instructed us to do.
“At the House meeting, there were three members present. 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.”
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2Z
