ABUJA: The Federal Government rejected the claims made by Tigran Gambaryan, Binance’s Head of Financial Crime, who was detained in Nigeria for eight months on accusations of corruption.Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes. He was released after the U.S. government intervened on his behalf.
In a post on X, Gambaryan alleged that his unlawful arrest 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 accused Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, of being responsible for the situation and claimed that the U.S. reduced the size of Nigeria’s delegation to the event. Gambaryan also named three Nigerian lawmakers who allegedly demanded a $150 million bribe from him.
However, the Federal Government dismissed these claims, urging the public to disregard them entirely. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, called Gambaryan’s statements a deliberate campaign of misinformation.
The Federal Government of Nigeria is concerned by the outrageous allegations, misinformation, and defamatory remarks being spread by Tigran Gambaryan, an American employee of Binance, who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes,” the statement said.
The government also 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.
Idris emphasized the need to correct the record, ensuring that falsehoods did not gain momentum.He also addressed Gambaryan’s bribery allegations, clarifying that his initial visit to Nigeria was entirely voluntary and not authorized by any government body.
When the government was made aware of a potential bribery attempt during that visit, an investigation was promptly initiated, despite the absence of a formal complaint,Idris explained.
The Federal Government had detained Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, a British Kenyan and Binance’s regional manager for Africa. Both were charged with money laundering involving $35 million, as part of an investigation led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
