The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, Ginger Onwusibe, has denied claims by top executive of cryptocurrency firm, Mr Tigran Gambaryan that he’s one of the three federal lawmakers who demanded a bribe of $150m from him as a condition to prevent his arrest and prosecution in Nigeria for alleged financial crimes.
Recall that on Friday, Gambaryan took to his verified X handle to accuse Onwusibe, Philip Agbese and Peter Akpanke of demanding the huge bribe from him, forcing the lawmaker to issue a statement of denial.
The Binance Chief wrote on the micro-blogging site, “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 $150m bribe, paid in cryptocurrency into their personal wallets. A Mickey Mouse operation at its best.”
Reacting to the development, Agbese, who doubles as the deputy spokesman for the lower House, urged the Binance boss to support his claims with evidence or face the consequences.
Describing the allegation as false, malicious and defamatory, Onwusibe who represents Isiala Ngwa North/South Federal Constituency, Abia State, said he initially chose not to respond, as the matter is already before the court.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Labour Party lawmaker said he decided to speak up given the widespread public reactions and what he described as the “unfair demonisation” of his person, his political party, and even his ethnic group.
According to him, the Committee on Anti-Corruption began investigating Binance after receiving a petition from the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, a civil society organisation.
“The petition alleged that Binance had engaged in financial and economic crimes that posed a threat to the Nigerian economy. In response, the committee invited Binance’s CEO, Richard Teng, to appear before a public hearing scheduled for January 10, 2024.
“However, before that date, Binance requested a pre-hearing meeting to better understand the allegations against them. The committee agreed to the request and scheduled the meeting for January 8, 2024, at the National Assembly complex,” he said.
The Abia lawmaker said he was unable to attend due to other official engagements, but delegated three committee members and a clerk to meet with Binance’s six-member team, which included legal counsel.
According to Onwusibe, the meeting was professional, transparent, and ended on a cordial note, with no demands for bribes.
“Despite agreeing to attend the public hearing, Binance’s CEO, Richard Teng, failed to appear on multiple occasions. Instead, the company sent legal representatives, a move the committee rejected.
“The hearing was postponed several times to accommodate Binance’s requests, but neither Teng nor any other senior Binance executive ever attended”, the statement further read.
As the controversy intensified, the lawmaker said he was surprised to discover, through a May 7, 2024, blog post by Teng, that Binance executives were also under investigation by Nigeria’s security agencies, including the Department of State Services and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Teng’s post, titled “Tigran Gambaryan is innocent and must be released”, contained what Onwusibe described as defamatory claims against him as he instructed his lawyer, Nnamdi Nwokocha, to demand an apology and damages.
Binance, he said, refused to retract the statements or offer any compensation.
On September 18, 2024, Onwusibe filed a lawsuit against Binance and Teng at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, seeking an apology, a retraction, and $3bn in damages.
The case, which first came up for hearing on January 22, 2025, is set to continue on February 19.
The lawmaker dismissed the latest allegations by Gambaryan, calling them “A desperate attempt by Binance to deflect attention from its own legal troubles.”
He emphasized that neither he nor his committee coordinated with Nigerian security agencies in their investigation of Binance.
He also denied allegations that the DSS, ONSA, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit were involved in the legislative investigation.
Beyond refuting the claims, Onwusibe painted Binance as a company with a troubling history of legal infractions in multiple countries.
He cited the conviction of Binance’s founder and former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, who was sentenced to four months in prison in the United States for financial crimes, including money laundering.
He also pointed to the company’s record fines in the U.S., Canada, India, and Uzbekistan for violating anti-money laundering and financial regulations.
For the lawmaker, the backlash from the Nigerian public has been particularly painful.
He lamented that many Nigerians were quick to believe Binance’s version of events without critically examining the facts.
He said the accusations had not only damaged his reputation but had also been used to mock his political party, the Labour Party, and even his Igbo ethnic group.
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