Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at Binance Holdings Limited, has accused three Nigerian federal lawmakers of demanding a $150 million bribe during the ongoing dispute between the cryptocurrency company and the Nigerian government. Gambaryan claimed that the lawmakers requested the payment in cryptocurrency and insisted it be transferred to their personal digital wallets.
Gambaryan was detained by Nigerian authorities from February to October 2024 in relation to Binance’s operations in the country. Along with Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s regional manager for Africa, Gambaryan was arrested in February 2024 while in Nigeria for a meeting with government officials.
The Nigerian government had accused Binance of manipulating foreign exchange rates, which allegedly harmed the national economy. Anjarwalla managed to escape custody in March 2024, leaving Gambaryan to face prosecution alone.
In a post shared on social media platform X on Friday, Gambaryan revealed that he and Anjarwalla first met with Department of State Services (DSS) officials in January 2024, prior to their meeting with members of the House of Representatives. According to Gambaryan, the DSS advised them to comply with the lawmakers’ demands.
“At the House meeting, there were three members present. They set up fake cameras and media to make it look official, but the cameras weren’t even plugged in,” Gambaryan wrote. “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.”
In May 2024, Binance CEO Richard Teng also alleged that unidentified individuals in Nigeria sought $150 million in digital currency to resolve the company’s legal issues in the country.
The Nigerian government has denied the allegations, accusing Binance of attempting to blackmail the country.
