Philip Agbese, a member of the House of Representatives, has dismissed bribery allegations made against him by Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan.
- Philip Agbese challenges Tigran Gambaryan to present evidence or apologize within seven days.
- Agbese denies involvement in alleged bribery case related to Binance.
- He emphasizes that he has never engaged in cryptocurrency trading or owned a crypto wallet.
Philip Agbese, a member of the House of Representatives, has dismissed $150 million bribery allegations made against him by Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan.
He challenged Gambaryan to either present evidence of his involvement or publicly apologize within seven days, warning that failure to do so would result in legal action.
In a post published on X on Friday, Gambaryan recounted his experiences in the hands of some Nigerian lawmakers. Gambaryan claimed three lawmakers, including Peter Akpanke, and Agbese demanded a $150 million bribe in cryptocurrency payment into their wallets.
The Binance executive, however, did not provide any documentary evidence to support his claims.
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In a statement issued on Friday, Agbese said he was not a member of the committee and never demanded a bribe from Binance.
“I am outraged by the false allegations made by Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of the controversial crypto firm Binance, claiming that I was among those who demanded a $150 million bribe from him,” the statement reads.
“These allegations are false. 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 apologized.“
Agbese has denied any involvement in the alleged bribery case related to Binance, clarifying that he is not a member of the Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes. He explained that he only visited his colleague, Hon. Peter Ankpanke, where he briefly discussed Binance’s activities in the presence of Hon. Peter Anekwe but made no demands.
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“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 them and the Binance executive after I left the office is left to them,” he noted.
Agbese stated that he was unaware of any further interactions between the committee and Binance executives after his departure. He emphasized that he has never engaged in cryptocurrency trading, nor does he own a crypto wallet, making any claims of bribery involving him baseless.
