Nigerian lawmakers have denied allegations of bribery leveled against them by Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan, demanding that he provide concrete evidence or prepare for legal consequences.
One of the lawmakers mentioned, Philip Agbese, Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, expressed outrage over the claims, describing them as “false and baseless.”
“I am not a member of the Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes. I only visited my colleague, Peter Akpanke, in his office, where he was meeting with some visitors, including Peter Anekwe, a committee member. We exchanged pleasantries, and out of curiosity, I engaged in a general discussion about Binance’s operations. At no point did I or anyone demand a bribe,” Agbese explained.
He clarified that after his brief encounter with the Binance team, he had no further interactions with them, the EFCC, or the DSS.
“I have never used cryptocurrency, nor do I own a crypto wallet. So, how could I have asked for funds to be sent to a wallet that doesn’t exist? Gambaryan and his associate, who escaped from prison, should focus on defending themselves rather than trying to implicate me,” he added.
Agbese has given Gambaryan a seven-day ultimatum to retract his statement and issue a public apology or face legal action.
Similarly, Peter Akpanke, another lawmaker mentioned in the allegations, denied any wrongdoing and challenged Gambaryan to provide proof of the alleged bribe request.
“Everything we did with Binance was transparent. If there was a demand, where and how did it happen? The Nigerian government took Binance to court. If such a bribe had been demanded, why would they still be charged? The allegations are completely false,” Akpanke stated.
He further noted that after submitting his investigative report on Binance to the chairman of the committee, he had no further dealings with the company.
Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Chairman of the Financial Crimes Committee, Ginger Onwusibe, for comments were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to calls or messages.
