BREAKING: Binance Executive reveals names of Nigerian Lawmakers who allegedly demanded $150M bribe to free him

Tigran Gambaryan, the Head of Financial Crime at Binance, has accused some Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe from him while he was in detention.

Gambaryan, who was released in October 2024 after the Federal Government dropped money laundering charges against Binance, made the allegations in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

He identified the lawmakers as Philip Agbese, the Deputy Spokesperson for the House of Assembly; Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, the Chairman of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption; and Peter Akpanke, the representative for Obanliku/Obudu/Bekwara.

According to Gambaryan:

> “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.”

At the time of filing this report, none of the accused lawmakers have responded to the allegations.