The Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed the allegations, made by Tigran Gambaryan, an American employee of Binance who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes.
Gambaryan had in a social media post, accused some Nigerian government officials and federal legislators of demanding bribe from him.
Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, in a statement on Friday, February 14, said:
“While the Federal Government of Nigeria is hesitant to engage Mr. Gambaryan, given the high-level diplomatic intervention that resolved his case, we are obliged to set the records straight to stop his falsehoods from gaining grounds.
“The first visit by Mr. Gambaryan and his colleagues to Nigeria was discretional on their part and the government was not officially involved.
“However, when the attention of the Government was called to an alleged bribery demand during that trip an investigation was immediately opened into it though there was no formal complaint by anyone.
“Mr. Gambaryan’s second visit to Nigeria was part of a wider probe into the criminal manipulation of the Nigerian currency through peer-to-peer platforms like Binance, but investigators were frustrated by the tactics deployed by Gambaryan and his team.
“Mr. Gambaryan was released by the Nigerian government in October 2024 on humanitarian grounds and following a high-level diplomatic intervention that ended with tangible benefits for Nigeria.
“The government rejected Binance’s offer of a $5 million down payment in exchange for Mr. Gambaryan’s freedom, in favour of a more beneficial settlement with the American government.”
Categorically denying Gambaryan’s retaliatory claims against Nigerian officials, the FG urged the public to disregard his accusations, describing them as both unsubstantiated and an attempt to discredit those who ensured he faced justice.
“The Nigerian and American judicial systems will provide Gambaryan with a fair opportunity to substantiate his claims in court,” the statement read.
“Until then, we urge the public to exercise caution and not be misled by his malicious and baseless allegations,” Idris added.
