Philip Agbese, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives, has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at cryptocurrency exchange Binance, to provide evidence of a $150 million bribe demand, or face legal action.
Gambaryan, in a post shared on X, had accused Agbese, alongside two other lawmakers, Peter Akpanke and Ginger Onwusibe, of demanding the bribe to be paid in cryptocurrency. Gambaryan claimed that the lawmakers requested the amount to be transferred to their personal wallets during a meeting.
Agbese, the Deputy Spokesperson for the House of Representatives, swiftly denied the accusations. In a statement released on Friday, he stated that he was not part of any meeting with Gambaryan or any Binance executives, let alone involved in a bribe request.
“I am outraged by the false allegations made by Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of the controversial crypto firm Binance, claiming that I was among those who demanded a $150 million bribe from him,” Agbese said in his statement.
He demanded that Gambaryan provide evidence to substantiate his claims. If no proof is forthcoming within seven days, Agbese warned, he would take legal action against the Binance executive.
Although Agbese insisted he was never part of any meeting concerning Binance or its executives, he explained that his only involvement stemmed from a brief visit to his colleague, Hon. Peter Ankpanke. During the visit, Agbese said they briefly discussed Binance’s activities, but there was no mention of any financial demands.
Agbese emphasized that he had no involvement in cryptocurrency trading and did not own a crypto wallet, making it impossible for him to request or receive bribes.
Gambaryan’s allegations had stated that during his visit to Nigeria, certain lawmakers demanded a $150 million bribe for facilitating Binance’s activities. He claimed that, in addition to Agbese, the lawmakers set up a meeting under false pretenses and pressured him to make the payment in cryptocurrency.
Gambaryan also accused the Nigerian government of requesting personal data from Binance related to opposition figures using the platform, alleging a violation of data privacy laws.
Agbese’s statement clarified that if Gambaryan fails to provide evidence or retract his statements within the seven-day deadline, he would pursue legal action, demanding both an apology and a formal retraction.
