The Federal Government of Nigeria has forcefully repudiated the scurrilous allegations, misinformation, and defamatory claims issued by Tigran Gambaryan, an American former Binance executive. Gambaryan, who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes and detained alongside his associate Anjarwalla on February 26, 2024—with Anjarwalla later escaping custody while Gambaryan faced money laundering charges by the EFCC—has now launched incendiary accusations. These came on the heels of Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso’s alarming revelation that $26 billion had been funneled through Binance undetected.
Despite the subsequent dropping of charges against both Gambaryan and Binance, culminating in Gambaryan’s court-ordered release in October 2024, the controversy persists. Gambaryan has accused Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, of soliciting bribes to bolster his political ambitions, and alleges that Representative Philip Agbese, along with two other lawmakers, demanded a $150 million bribe payable in cryptocurrency. In response, Agbese challenged Gambaryan to furnish concrete evidence or face imminent legal action.
In a robust rebuttal, the government, via a statement signed by Minister Mohammed Idris, vowed to dismantle these unfounded and malicious assertions. The statement clarified that Gambaryan’s initial visit to Nigeria was voluntary and that the government promptly investigated the alleged bribery claim despite the absence of a formal complaint. His subsequent visit, intended to scrutinize alleged currency manipulation via peer-to-peer platforms like Binance, was stymied by the tactics employed by Gambaryan and his team. Moreover, the government rejected Binance’s offer of a $5 million settlement in exchange for Gambaryan’s release, opting instead for a more advantageous resolution with American authorities.
Categorically denying Gambaryan’s retaliatory claims against Nigerian officials, the government asserts that these allegations lack both substantiation and credibility, seemingly designed to defame those who ensured he faced justice. Confident in the integrity of both the Nigerian and American judicial systems, the government advises the public to remain vigilant and not be swayed by these spurious claims until they are rigorously tested in court.
