The Federal Government on Friday dismissed the allegations made by Binance’s Head of Financial Crime, Tigran Gambaryan, who spent eight months in Nigerian detention over accusations of corruption.
Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes before being released after intervention from the U.S. government.
In a post on X, Gambaryan claimed that his unlawful arrest by the Nigerian authorities led former U.S. President Joe Biden to cancel a scheduled meeting with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 UN General Assembly (UNGA).
He further accused National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu of being responsible for the situation, alleging that the U.S. government also reduced the size of Nigeria’s delegation to the assembly. Gambaryan also named three Nigerian lawmakers whom he claimed had demanded a bribe of $150 million from him.
However, the Federal Government has urged the public to disregard these allegations, describing them as baseless.
In a statement, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris condemned Gambaryan’s claims as part of a deliberate misinformation campaign.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria expresses concern over the falsehoods, misinformation, and defamatory statements being spread by Tigran Gambaryan, an American national associated with Binance, who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes,” the statement read.
Idris also clarified that the Nigerian government had rejected Binance’s offer of a $5 million down payment for Gambaryan’s release, opting instead for a more favorable settlement with the U.S. government.
“We are compelled to set the record straight to prevent such falsehoods from gaining traction,” Idris stated.
The Minister addressed Gambaryan’s bribery allegations, emphasizing that his initial visit to Nigeria had been entirely voluntary and not authorized by any Nigerian government body.
“When Mr. Gambaryan and his colleagues first visited Nigeria, it was a discretionary decision on their part, and the government was not officially involved,” Idris explained. “However, once the government was made aware of the alleged bribery attempt during that visit, an investigation was promptly initiated, even though no formal complaint was filed.”
The Federal Government had detained Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a 37-year-old British Kenyan and regional manager for Binance in Africa. Both were charged with money laundering involving $35 million by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Anjarwalla, however, managed to escape custody on March 22, 2024.
