Tigran Gambaryan, a senior official at cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has insisted that his allegations that three Nigerian lawmakers demanded a $150 million bribe from him to stop his arrest and prosecution are factual and based on real events.
He reiterated his claim despite strong denials from the lawmakers and the Nigerian government.
Gambaryan, who was detained in Nigeria earlier due to allegations of money laundering against Binance, made the claims on Friday through a post on the social media platform X. He accused Philip Agbese, Ginger Onwusibe, and Peter Akpanke, all members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, of requesting for the bribe. He also alleged that National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu attempted to personally benefit from the dispute between Binance and Nigeria.
According to Gambaryan, Ribadu even hired a U.S. law firm to negotiate his release, but the attempt failed due to what he described as “incompetence and greed.”
“Ribadu emphasized that he wanted billions in payouts to fund his future political ambition. However, when the corruption scandal came to light, he was trapped—because any settlement would now be perceived as a bribe. I guess he really wanted his boss’ job,” he had said.
The cryptocurrency executive on Saturday maintained that his statement was nothing but the truth and that all the details had been shared with both Nigerian and U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Gambaryan posted again on X, insisting that his claims were based on direct knowledge and personal experience. “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 U.S. law enforcement,” he wrote.
He added that it was now up to the authorities in both countries to investigate and bring the matter to a logical conclusion.
He added, “I am no longer in law enforcement. The responsibility of seeing this through to a logical conclusion now falls on those still serving in United States and Nigeria.
“Many requested that I stay on and provide further commentary on the issues I posted about yesterday (Friday). 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.”
Gambaryan, a former U.S. Treasury Department Special Agent, and Binance executive Nadeem Anjarwalla were detained in Nigeria after the government accused Binance of money laundering and facilitating financial crimes.
Anjarwalla escaped custody months before Gambaryan’s release, but following pressure from the U.S. government, Nigerian authorities dropped all charges against Gambaryan in October 2024. He was eventually freed and allowed to return home.
