Rita Odafe
Binance, a cryptocurrency company, has accused Nigerian government officials of soliciting a $150 million bribe in cryptocurrency to resolve criminal charges. This allegation comes amidst the Nigerian government’s crackdown on the cryptocurrency platform to strengthen the local currency and combat fraud.
The government has leveled charges such as tax evasion, currency speculation, and money laundering totaling $35.4 million against Binance. The Chief Executive Officer, Richard Teng, made these bribery claims in a blog post published by the New York Times.
According to the NYT report, a compliance officer at Binance, Tigran Gambaryan, received a demand for the bribe during a trip to Nigeria in January. This demand was seen as a request for a bribe by Gambaryan and his colleagues, shortly after they met with Nigerian legislators who accused the company of tax violations.
An alarming turn of events followed this incident, with Gambaryan and a colleague getting arrested under the orders of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. While one of them managed to escape to Kenya, Gambaryan has been held in a correctional facility in Abuja since April 8.
Binance and Gambaryan are facing prosecution by the Federal Government for tax evasion and money laundering. In response to these allegations, the government assured that it would follow due process in presenting the case based on facts and evidence.
The spokesman for the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, emphasized that both the government and Binance would have the opportunity to present their cases and receive justice through the legal system.
