The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, has denied allegations made by Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of the cryptocurrency giant Binance, asking him to provide evidence or face legal action.

Gambaryan had claimed that Agbese was among those who demanded a $150 million bribe.

The lawmaker described the accusations as baseless and issued an ultimatum to Gambaryan, demanding he either provide evidence or retract his claims within seven days or face legal consequences.

?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 apologised.?

Agbese also clarified that he is not a member of the Committee on Economic and Financial Crimes. According to his account, he had only visited his colleague, Hon. Peter Ankpanke, during a meeting involving the committee and Binance representatives.

?It was during this visit to the office of Hon. Peter Ankpanke, 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.?

The lawmaker emphasized that any further questions regarding the issue should be directed to the committee, not to him. He also made it clear that he has no involvement with cryptocurrency, stating, ?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.?

In his statement, Agbese demanded that Gambaryan produce evidence linking him to the alleged bribery. ?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,? he said.

Agbese warned that, should Gambaryan fail to provide evidence of his claims, he would be left with no choice but to pursue legal action.

?I further demand that, failing to provide evidence, Tigran Gambaryan must retract his malicious claims and apologise to me within the next seven days or face legal action from my lawyers.?

The lawmaker also referenced previous attempts to discredit him, describing the latest allegations as part of a broader campaign by foreign entities to undermine public officeholders perceived as nationalistic. (Vanguard)

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