Days after formerly jailed Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan made some explosive allegations against officials of Nigerian government accusing them of blackmailing , torture and corruption, the latter has replied denying the statements made by Tigran.
Gambaryan, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in February 2024 in Nigeria after he was invited for a meeting with the government officials representing Binance exchange. Tigran, was charged on behalf of Binance, for money laundering and tax evasion and had to spend eight months in a prison in Nigeria before getting bail on humanitarian grounds.
After returning to US, Tigran has made some explosive allegations accusing officials of DSS (Nigeria State Security Services) and officials of Nigerian government of trying to extort $150 million from Binance in the form of cryptocurrencies. Tigran has also claimed that he was made a scapegoat in the case and tortured in custody despite being in ill health.
Now, the Nigerian government has responded to the allegations put forth by Tigran through a detailed statement put on X where they have completely denying the statements made by him. They have asked the X audience to “disregard falsehoods being peddled by Tigran Gambaryan against Nigerian government officials.”
The Nigerian government showed its discontentment toward Gambaryan’s comments claiming that his first visit did not receive official governmental endorsement until investigators started probing claims about alleged bribery activities. The government confirmed that the second visit of Tigran to Nigeria served to investigate peer-to-peer platforms such as Binance but Gambaryan’s team actively hampered the process.
The Nigerian government has also claimed in their statement that Gambaryan secured his release from prison after high-profile diplomatic intervention occurred in October 2024 under humanitarian circumstances. They also alleged that Binance attempted to free Gambaryan by paying a $5 million ransom but the Nigerian authorities discarded this proposal.
Meanwhile, Gambaryan also responded to the Nigerian government officials on their X post and accused them of lying through their teeth. Gambaryan rejected the claim his release was due to humanitarian factors by stating he spent his detention period in a secured facility under deceptive criminal allegations. He emphasized two contradictions in the government statements regarding the investigation procedure while noting the absence of his inclusion in the process.
Gambaryan finished his address by strongly declaring his professional pedigree while hinting at future legal interventions because of the prolonged controversy. The case of Binance versus Nigeria is set to get messier now with the war of words between Tigran and government officials on X.
Also read : Treated like a caged animal in Nigeria, family suffered: Binance’s Tigran
