House Of Representatives Member Philip Agbese Sues Binance Executive Tigran Gambaryan Over Bribery Allegations
Philip Agbese, a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at Binance Holdings Limited, following allegations of bribery.
In a post on X on February 14, Gambaryan accused Agbese and two other Nigerian lawmakers of demanding a million bribe in cryptocurrency. Agbese, who serves as the deputy spokesperson for the House, vehemently denied any involvement in cryptocurrency trading and stated that he does not possess a crypto wallet. “I could not have asked for funds to be credited to a non-existent wallet,” he asserted.
Agbese challenged Gambaryan to provide evidence supporting his claims and demanded a public apology within seven days or face legal action. However, just three days later, Agbese initiated legal proceedings at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Maitama, seeking N1.5 billion in damages.
In his lawsuit, Agbese requested the court to prevent Gambaryan and his associates from making further defamatory statements against him and called for a retraction of the original post and related publications.
In a statement released on February 17, Agbese explained his decision to proceed with legal action despite initially offering Gambaryan a seven-day notice. “After careful analysis of his wild claims, which hold no water either in common sense or logic, I have instituted legal proceedings against Gambaryan after he repeated his false allegations instead of retracting them,” he stated.
Agbese emphasized that his reputation as a citizen and congressman is at stake, asserting that failure to act would be unforgivable for himself and future generations. He criticized Gambaryan for not being willing to apologize and reiterated that he expects the accuser to prove his allegations in court or face the consequences.
“This is not just about the financial compensation but serves as a deterrent to others who think falsehood is a strategy for escaping accountability,” Agbese concluded.
