House Kicks as Binance’s Gambaryan Insists $150m Bribery Allegation against Lawmakers True

The House of Representatives has advised the public to be guided by verified information regarding the $150 million bribery allegation against three of its members by the head of financial crime for cryptocurrency giant, Binance, Tigran Gambaryan before taking a position on the matter.

This is just as Gambaryan has maintained that the $150million bribery allegation he levelled against three members of the House – Ginger Onwusibe, Philip Agbese, and Peter Akpanke – was true.
Gambaryan had on Friday alleged that some members of the House of Representatives demanded a $150million bribe from him during a meeting in Abuja to halt an investigation into the activities of his company.
His claims were, however, dismissed by the federal government.

The allegation was also debunked by both Agbese and Onwusibe in separate press statements, vowing to use the instrument of the law to clear their names.
In its official reaction yesterday via a statement signed by the Spokesman, Akin Rotimi, the House urged the public not to allow itself to be swayed by what it called “Recycled claims,” targeted at Nigerian institutions and public servants.

The statement noted that the House remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“The Honourable members have assured the House leadership that they never had any such dealings as reported. One of the members has already instituted legal action to clear his name, while others affected have been encouraged to do the same in pursuit of justice and the protection of their reputations.”

The statement also said: “It is also important to highlight that, with the active involvement of both the Nigerian and United States governments, this matter has evolved into a government-to-government engagement. Notably, in the course of high-level diplomatic discussions, the Federal Government of Nigeria has prioritised national interest over external commercial pressure, including rejecting financial settlement offers from Binance.
“These facts raise serious questions about the credibility and intent of the allegations being peddled.”

The House further noted that with the matter already before a court of competent jurisdiction and remains the subject of ongoing diplomatic engagements, it will refrain from further comment in line with established parliamentary, judicial, and diplomatic principles.
But Gambaryan yesterday stood by his allegation, insisting that all that happened was nothing but the truth.
Reacting on his verified “X” page, he said: “Many requested that I stay on and provide further commentary on the issues I posted about yesterday. Here’s the hard truth: What I shared was meant to fill in the gaps left by Wired and NPR’s reporting.

“The reality is that last year was incredibly painful for me and my family. I dedicated my life to fighting crime as a Special Agent with the United States Department of the Treasury and as a compliance professional.
“It was an honour to serve my country and it was a blessing that they came to my rescue and mobilised the full force of the US government when I was in need. Being dragged through court on outrageous, baseless, and trumped-up charges didn’t just hurt me—it also brought immense pain to my family.

“I don’t want to see my kids cry because I’m not around. I don’t want to see videos of my 75-year-old mother on television in tears. I don’t want to see my wife crying on TV. I want to put this nightmare behind me and move on.
“What I shared was factual, based on my personal experiences and conversations with those who have direct knowledge of the events I discussed. Information that was shared with both Nigerian and US law enforcement. So please, allow me to leave this behind and find peace.

“I am no longer in law enforcement. The responsibility of seeing this through to a logical conclusion now falls on those still serving in the United States and Nigeria.”

The controversy between Binance and Nigerian authorities dates back to early 2024 when the government accused the cryptocurrency platform of manipulating foreign exchange rates.

The federal government subsequently detained Gambaryan and another Binance executive, Nadeem Anjarwalla, when they arrived in Nigeria for discussions in February 2024.

While Anjarwalla later escaped, Gambaryan remained in custody until he was released based on the intervention of the US authorities.