Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has strongly refuted allegations that he demanded a $150 million bribe from Binance. The claim was made by Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at the cryptocurrency exchange platform, Binance.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Agbese dismissed the accusations as false and an attempt to damage his reputation. He challenged Gambaryan to provide proof or retract the claims within seven days or face legal action.
“These allegations are false,” Agbese stated. “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 clarified that he is not a member of the House Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes. He explained that his only encounter with Binance representatives happened when he visited his colleague, Hon. Peter Ankpanke, who was meeting with the Committee.
“It was during this visit to Hon. Peter Ankpanke’s office, with Hon. Peter Anekwe present, that I learned they were interfacing with the Binance team over a referral to their Committee,” he explained. “I never saw those visitors again after that chance meeting and did not attend any further meetings with Binance executives, the EFCC, or the DSS.”
He also stated that he has no involvement with cryptocurrency and has never owned a crypto wallet.
“I have never used any cryptocurrency, as I do not have a crypto wallet anywhere in the world, so I could not have asked for funds to be credited to a non-existent wallet,” he stressed.
Agbese further urged Gambaryan to present evidence supporting his claims instead of making baseless accusations.
“Gambaryan and his associate, who escaped from prison, should return to the EFCC and defend themselves. Instead of trying to implicate me, they should focus on addressing the allegations against them,” Agbese said.
He warned that if Gambaryan does not provide evidence, he will take legal steps to clear his name.
“I demand that, failing to provide evidence, Tigran Gambaryan must retract his malicious claims and apologize to me within the next seven days or face legal action from my lawyers.”
Agbese also suggested that the accusations might be part of a broader effort by foreign interests to discredit certain Nigerian officials.
“This is not the first time attempts have been made to smear my reputation. I will not allow baseless accusations to go unchallenged,” he concluded.
