The Federal Government has rejected claims made by Binance’s Head of Financial Crime Compliance, Tigran Gambaryan, dismissing them as misinformation and defamatory statements.
Gambaryan, who was detained in Nigeria for eight months on financial crime charges, alleged that his arrest led to former US President Joe Biden avoiding a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 UN General Assembly (UNGA). He also accused three Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe.
However, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris refuted these claims, stating that Gambaryan’s visit to Nigeria was not officially sanctioned and that the government immediately launched an investigation into the bribery allegations, despite receiving no formal complaint.
“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,” he stated.
Idris also revealed that Nigeria rejected a $5 million settlement offer from Binance for Gambaryan’s release, opting for a more beneficial agreement with the US government instead.
“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.”
