The Federal Government has urged Nigerians to disregard outrageous allegations, misinformation, and defamatory statements being disseminated by Tigran Gambaryan, an American personnel of Binance who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes.
The government added that it rejected Binance’s offer of a $5 million down payment in exchange for Gambaryan’s freedom, in favour of a more beneficial settlement with the American government.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris, stated this in a statement made available to TheIdeal News on Friday.
Idris further disclosed that while Federal Government of Nigeria is reluctant to take up issues with Gambaryan, due to the high-level diplomatic intervention that resolved his case, the government is compelled to set the record straight to prevent his falsehoods from gaining traction.
The statement reads in part, “The first visit of Mr. Gambaryan and his colleagues to Nigeria was at their own discretion, and the Government was not officially involved. However, when the Government’s attention was drawn to an alleged bribery demand during that trip, an investigation was immediately launched, despite there being no formal complaint from anyone.
“Gambaryan’s second visit to Nigeria was part of a wider probe into the criminal manipulation of the Nigerian currency through peer-to-peer platforms like Binance, but investigators were frustrated by the tactics deployed by Gambaryan and his team.
” Gambaryan was released by the Nigerian government in October 2024 on humanitarian grounds and following a high-level diplomatic intervention that ended with tangible benefits for Nigeria. The government rejected Binance’s offer of a $5 million down payment in exchange for Gambaryan’s freedom, in favour of a more beneficial settlement with the American government”.
Denying the allegations of Gambaryan against Nigerian officials involved in his case, Idris said, ” We categorically deny the retaliatory claims made by Mr. Gambaryan against Nigerian officials involved in his case, and we urge the public to disregard these false accusations in their entirety.
“It is essential to note that Gambaryan’s allegations are not only unsubstantiated but also lack credibility, given his apparent motive to discredit and intimidate those who ensured he faced justice.
” However, we are confident that both the Nigerian and American judicial systems will provide Gambaryan with a fair opportunity to substantiate his claims in court. Until then, we advise the public to exercise caution and not be swayed by Gambaryan’s unfounded and malicious claims.”
