Society Gists

Tigran Gambaryan, the Head of Financial Crime at cryptocurrency firm Binance, has identified the Nigerian lawmakers who allegedly demanded a $150 million bribe from him. Gambaryan was released in October 2024 after the Federal Government dropped money laundering charges against his company.

He had been in detention for several months before being freed following an intervention by the US government.

While in custody, Gambaryan accused certain lawmakers of seeking a bribe from him in exchange for halting his arrest and prosecution.

In a statement posted on X on Friday, Gambaryan named the lawmakers as Philip Agbese, the Deputy Spokesperson for the House of Assembly; Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, the Head of the House of Representatives Committee on anti-corruption; and Peter Akpanke, the representative for Obanliku/Obudu/Bekwara. Gambaryan stated, “The DSS was involved in the House of Representatives matter. We met with them at their office on Friday, January 5, 2024, as a prerequisite to our meeting with the House of Representatives. They alluded to the fact that we had to comply with whatever the House members instructed us to do. “At the House meeting, there were three members present.

Two of them were Peter Akpanke and Philip Agbese, both working under the leadership of Ginger Obinna Onwusibe. There was a third House member, but I don’t recall his name. “They set up fake cameras and media to make the meeting appear official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in.

As you may already know, this ended with them asking for a $150 million bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets. A Mickey Mouse operation at its best.” The lawmakers had not responded to the allegation at the time this report was filed.