Binance’ Bribery Allegations is to Blackmail and Divert Attention – Reps

Confidence UbaniMay 14, 20242 Mins read384

Nadeem Anjarwalla

The House of Representatives has accused cryptocurrency company Binance of blackmail amidst bribery allegations brought against committee members by the company. Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Crimes, Hon. Ginger Obinna Onwusibe, made this known during a media briefing in Abuja. According to Onwusibe, Binance has resorted to blackmail to deflect attention from the serious allegations of financial and economic crimes levelled against it by the Nigerian government.

Recall that recently, Binance accused Nigerian authorities of demanding bribes to settle allegations of financial crime levelled against them by the Federal government.

Dismissing the bribery accusations against the committee as baseless and fabricated, Onwusibe emphasised that the company’s actions constitute an attempt to evade accountability and impede the committee’s investigations.

His words:

These bogus, obnoxious, false and fabricated allegations are pure blackmail, clearly designed to muddy the waters and shift attention away from the heinous allegations of financial and economic crimes against the Nigerian State levelled against Binance and which are intended to derail the investigations by the Committee, delegitimise its constitutional, statutory and legitimate inquiry into the activities of Binance in Nigeria.

He further stated:

The sophisticated criminality of Binance is demonstrated by its actions in sand carrying out the escape from the lawful custody of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the 23rd day of March 2024, of its employee, Mr Nadeem Anjarwalla, using forged Kenyan Passport (while his genuine British Passport is still in the custody of the authorities).

It is important to emphasise that Nigerian Security and Regulatory Agencies such as the ONSA, EFCC, NFIU, SEC, CBN, etc, were already investigating the alleged criminal activities of Binance independent of the Petitions before the Committee. The criminal activities of Binance in Nigeria had gained notoriety. Indeed, the criminal activities of Binance is not just a Nigerian issue but a global problem.

Additionally, Onwusibe referenced a recent case in the United States where Binance’s founder, Mr. Changpeng Zhao, was imprisoned for money laundering and other violations. Addressing Binance’s allegations of bribery against the committee, Onwusibe clarified that no such demands were made during the private meeting between Binance representatives and committee members.

He refuted Binance’s claims and stated that the alleged bribery solicitations occurred after the meeting, involving unknown individuals unaffiliated with the committee.

It is most unfortunate that some Nigerians have allowed themselves to be hoodwinked by Binance and sucked into the hullabaloo prevalent in the Nigerian news circle in the past few days, he stated.

Binance is yet to respond to the accusations as of the time of this report.

Read: NMA Membership Deemed Voluntary by Abuja High Court