Lawmaker Speaks as Binance Official Names Legislators Who Allegedly Demanded $150m Bribe
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs and governance.
FCT, Abuja - Philip Agbese, the deputy spokesman of the house of representatives, on Friday, February 14, strongly denied bribery allegations made against him by Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan.
In a statement obtained by Legit.ng, Agbese gave Gambaryan a seven-day ultimatum to provide evidence of his claims or retract them, warning that failure to do so will result in legal action.
Gambaryan had alleged that Agbese, along with two other lawmakers, demanded a $150 million bribe for his release while he was detained in Nigeria in 2024 over money laundering accusations.
The other national assembly members named were Peter Akpanke and Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, chairman of the house committee on anti-corruption. However, Agbese has now dismissed the claims as baseless, insisting he was never involved in any financial dealings with Binance executives.
In the statement, the house of representatives deputy spokesperson said he is "outraged by the false allegations."
He said:
“I was not part of any meeting with any Binance executive regarding money for any purpose. The leadership of the committee took the matter to court, and Binance has already apologised.
“Let it be on record that I am not a member of the Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes. I visited my colleague, Hon. Peter Ankpanke, in his office, where he was meeting with some visitors about the activity of his Committee, with Hon. Peter Anakwe, a member of the Committee present. We exchanged pleasantries and, in character with my person as an avid pursuer of knowledge, discussed Binance’s activities that did not include any demand from anyone.
“It was during this visit to the office of Hon. Peter Ankpanke, with Hon. Peter Anekwe present, that he told me they were interfacing with the Binance Team from abroad over a referral to their Committee.
“What transpired between the two of them and the Binance executive after I left the office is left to them. I never saw those visitors again after that chance meeting and did not afterwards attend any meeting with Binance executives, the EFCC, or the DSS.
“I am aware that when this issue was first raised, the Chairman of the Committee went to court and Binance apologised. So, all inquiries should be directed to the Committee, not to Honourable Philip Agbese."
Agbese continued:
“I have never used any cryptocurrency as I do not have a crypto wallet anywhere in the world, so I could not have asked for funds to be credited to a non-existent wallet.
“Gambaryan and his associate, who escaped from prison, should return to the EFCC and defend themselves. Instead of trying to implicate me, they should focus on addressing the allegations against them.
“As a consequence of the foregoing, I demand that Tigran Gambaryan publishes any evidence that links Hon. Philip Agbese to the issue. The man has spewed many other lies in his report about the government demanding information on opposition elements and other outrageous claims. I further demand that failing to provide evidence as stated, Tigran Gambaryan must cause a retraction of his malicious claims and publication and apologise to me within the next 7 days or face legal action from my lawyers."
Agbese concluded:
“This is not the first allegation against me by a foreign entity. The first was that I worked for the past government and the Armed Forces to promote Nigeria’s agenda, which shows the extent of desperation by entities that are interested in undermining public office holders they perceive as nationalistic.”
Meanwhile, the other lawmakers, whose names were mentioned, are yet to respond to the matter at the time of publishing this report.
Tinubu's govt speaks on Binance executive's health
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Bola Tinubu administration said the allegation that the health of detained Gambaryan is degenerating, is untrue.
In a statement by Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, the Nigerian government asked the public to ignore claims that Gambaryan is being held in unpalatable prison conditions in the West African nation.
Maintaining that the detained Binance executive was held 'lawfully', the Tinubu administration said Gambaryan had access to quality medical care whenever required.
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Source: Legit.ng
