Rep. Ginger Onwusibe, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, has denied allegations made by Tigran Gambaryan, a top executive at a cryptocurrency firm.
Gambaryan claimed that Onwusibe was one of three federal lawmakers who demanded a $150 million bribe in exchange for dropping alleged financial crime charges.
Onwusibe’s denial comes amidst a broader controversy surrounding Binance’s operations in Nigeria and Gambaryan’s own detention and subsequent release in October 2024.
Persecondnews recalls that Gambaryan took to his verified X handle on Friday February 14, 2025, to accuse Onwusibe, Rep. Philip Agbese and Rep. Peter Akpanke of demanding the huge bribe from him, forcing the lawmaker to issue a statement of denial.
The Binance chief took to the micro-blogging site to write: “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 allegations, Agbse, the Deputy Spokesman for the House, demanded that the Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, provide evidence to support his claims of a $150 million bribery demand, threatening legal consequences if he fails to do so.
Describing the allegation as “false, malicious, and defamatory,” Onwusibe, representing Isiala Ngwa North/South Federal Constituency, Abia State, initially opted not to respond, citing the ongoing court proceedings.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Labour Party lawmaker addressed the recent controversy, stating that he chose to speak out due to the intense public backlash and what he deemed as the “unfair demonisation” of himself, his party, and even his ethnic group.
Onwusibe said the Committee on Anti-Corruption initiated its investigation into Binance following a petition submitted by the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, a non-governmental organization.
The statement partly reads: “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.”
According to Onwusibe, he was unable to attend the meeting due to prior official commitments, but instead sent three committee members and a clerk to represent him, where they met with a six-member team from Binance, including their legal counsel.
The lawmaker maintained that the meeting was conducted in a professional and transparent manner, concluding on a cordial note, with no requests or demands for bribes made.
The statement added: “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.”
As the controversy surrounding Binance escalated, Onwusibe said he was shocked to learn, through a blog post by Teng dated May 7, 2024, that Binance executives were under investigation by Nigeria’s security agencies, including the Department of State Services and the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Teng’s blog post, “Tigran Gambaryan is Innocent and Must Be Released”, included defamatory claims against Onwusibe, prompting him to instruct his lawyer, Mr. Nnamdi Nwokocha, to demand an apology and damages, he said.
According to Onwusibe, Binance declined to retract the defamatory statements or provide any compensation.
Onwusibe filed a lawsuit against Binance and its CEO, Richard Teng, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on September 28, 2024, seeking a formal apology, retraction of defamatory statements, and $3 billion in damages.
The lawsuit, which had its initial hearing on January 22, 2025, is scheduled to resume on February 19.
Onwusibe dismissed Gambaryan’s latest allegations, labeling them a desperate attempt by Binance to divert attention away from its own mounting legal issues.
He emphasized that neither he nor his committee coordinated with Nigerian security agencies in their investigation of Binance.
Onwusibe also denied allegations that various Nigerian agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, were involved in the legislative investigation into Binance’s activities.
He countered the allegations by portraying Binance as a company with a history of legal issues in several countries.
He noted that Binance’s founder and former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, was convicted and sentenced to four months in prison in the United States for financial crimes, including money laundering.
Onwusibe also said Binance’s record fines in the U.S., Canada, India, and Uzbekistan for violating anti-money laundering and financial regulations.
He lamented that many Nigerians readily accepted Binance’s narrative without scrutinizing the facts, which has led to damaging consequences
The accusations, he said, have not only tarnished his reputation but also been used to mock his political party, the Labour Party, and even his Igbo ethnic group.
Persecondnews recalls that Gambaryan was detained by Nigerian authorities in December 2023 for allegedly facilitating cryptocurrency transactions for fraudulent activities, and faced a five-count criminal prosecution brought by the EFCC.
He was later released in October 2024 on humanitarian grounds, following a high-level diplomatic intervention.
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