On Friday, February 14, Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance, accused three Nigerian lawmakers —Ginger Onwusibe, Philip Agbese and Peter Akpanke — of demanding a $150 million bribe.
The alleged incident was said to have occurred during Gambaryan’s trip to Nigeria to resolve a dispute between the cryptocurrency exchange and Nigerian authorities.
This fact-check investigates the veracity of the claim.
The Claim
A Binance executive accused three Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe to be paid into their individual crypto wallets during his dispute with authorities in Nigeria.
Background
In early 2024, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, both Binance executives, traveled to Nigeria to address regulatory issues between Binance and the Nigerian government.
During this period, Gambaryan alleged that he was approached by unidentified persons sent by Nigerian lawmakers who demanded money in exchange for settling the conflict.
Following this, Gambaryan was reportedly detained at Kuje Prison, where he claimed to have experienced harsh conditions. His release came after diplomatic interventions and international pressure.
However on Friday, the story took a different turn when Gambaryan allegedly accused three lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe to the personal crypto wallets of the legislators.
Verification
Checks revealed inconsistencies in Gambaryan’s claims. Although he had previously mentioned that unknown individuals came to his hotel room to demand money, there is no concrete evidence that the lawmakers directly requested a $150 million bribe.
Agbese, in his reaction to the claim, noted that he does not have a crypto account, neither was he present at the meeting where Gambaryan alleged the monetary demand was made.
Further checks show that the Binance executive has failed to provide evidence of the lawmakers’ alleged crypto accounts. Despite initially claiming that the lawmakers demanded to receive the $150 million through their personal cryptocurrency wallets, he has not furnished any account details to back this allegation.
Additionally, no credible evidence has been made public to corroborate the claims of either the bribe demand or the existence of the lawmakers’ crypto accounts. Inconsistent statements from the Binance executive also cast doubt on the reliability of his allegations.
Verdict
The claim that a Binance executive accused three Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe is FALSE. No verifiable evidence supports this specific allegation.
