Federal Government of Nigeria has notes with concern the 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.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris stated this in a press release made available to newsmen in Abuja.
Mohammed Idris said while Federal Government is obliged to set the records straight to stop Mr. Gambaryan falsehoods from gaining grounds.
He explained that the first visit by Mr. Gambaryan and his colleagues to Nigeria was discretional on their part and Government was not officially involved.
However, when the attention of the Government was called to an alleged bribery demand during that trip an investigation was immediately opened into it though there was no formal complaint by anyone.
The Minister further explained that Mr. 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.
He said Mr. 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.
Mohammed Idris also said that the government rejected Binance’s offer of a five million dollars down payment in exchange for Mr. Gambaryan’s freedom, in favour of a more beneficial settlement with the American government.
It is essential to note that Mr. 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 Mr. Gambaryan with a fair opportunity to substantiate his claims in court.
Rel/Adamu Yusuf
