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In a post published on X on Friday, Gambaryan recounted
his experiences in the hands of some Nigerian lawmakers.
Gambaryan claimed three lawmakers, including Peter Akpanke
and Agbese, the deputy spokesperson of the house of representatives, demanded a
$150 million bribe in cryptocurrency payment into their wallets.
Reacting to the allegations, Agbese claimed that he has
never been involved in cryptocurrency trading and does not have a crypto
The lawmaker added that he could not have asked for funds to
be credited to a “non-existent wallet”.
Agbese urged Gambaryan to either publish any evidence
linking him to the bribery accusation, apologise within seven days, or face
legal action.
However, less than three days after issuing the statement,
the lawmaker has filed a suit before a federal capital territory (FCT) high
court in Maitama, seeking N1.5 billion in damages.
He is also praying the court to restrain Gambaryan and his
associates from further making defamatory comments about him.
Agbese added that the Binance executive should also retract
the post and publications made about him.
In another statement issued on Monday, the lawmaker said he
decided to approach the court despite the earlier seven-day notice given to
“So, three days after my stated deadline, after a careful
analysis of his wild claims, which hold no water either in common sense or
logic, I have today, Monday, February 17, 2025, instituted legal proceedings
against Gambaryan, after he repeated his false allegations instead of
retracting them,” the statement reads.
“I was compelled to approach the court because my reputation
as a citizen, a distinguished congressman, and that of my country is at stake,
such that if I failed to do this today, posterity, my children, and the
generation unborn will not forgive me.
“The accuser, who made the false statements, is not in any
way ready to apologize for defaming me. He has instead chosen to say he would
like to be excused from making further comments on the issue because he wants
to spend more time with his family.
“This is totally wrong. I am an African and have a larger
family and more loved ones to stay with than Gambaryan. He must come to the
court to prove his allegations or be ready to pay the compensation I have
“This is not for the billions that will come at the end of
the day from Gambaryan but to serve as a deterrent to others like Gambaryan in
the society who think falsehood is a strategy of getting away with their crimes
against our country and humanity.”
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