The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (COCS), comprising over 200 civil society organizations committed to transparency, good governance, and economic integrity, has discredited and condemned the bribery allegations made by Head of Financial Crime Compliance of Binance, Tigran Gambaryan.
CNNNEWSNIGERIA had reported that Mr. Gambaryan, an American citizen, had alleged that three Nigerian lawmakers, namely Honourable Peter Akpanke, Honourable Philip Agbese, and Honourable Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, demanded a $150 million bribe from him.
“The claim is nothing but an attempt to manipulate public opinion, evade justice, and derail the Nigerian government’s legitimate investigation into Binance’s financial misconduct,” the Director of Administration for COCS, Ada Onoha said during a press conference on Monday in Abuja.
Ms..Onoja cited several reasons why Binance’s claim is wrong and diversionary, including: Lack of substantiated evidence; tactical diversion from ongoing criminal investigations; violation of Nigerian financial laws; lack of official complaint to relevant authorities; pattern of evasion and smear tactics; suspicious timing and external influence and threat to national security and economic stability.
The CSOs, therefore , issued a seven-day ultimatum to Binance to either publicly retract the false bribery claim and provide an official apology to the Nigerian government or return to Nigeria to answer the criminal charges against it.
“Failure to do so will result in the invocation of international legal instruments to hold Binance accountable under anti-corruption and financial crime laws.
“We call on the Nigerian government, relevant international organizations, and the global community to reject Binance’s baseless claims, uphold the rule of law, and ensure that the company faces the full weight of legal consequences,” Onoja said.