By Adesoro Tolu Austen
“In condemning this insane, ridiculous and absurd development, it is very obvious that
Tigran Gambaryan is simply on a calculative mission to create unwarranted tension within the National Assembly, embarrass and disrespect the Federal Government of Nigeria. In a matter of this nature, looking at the legal framework, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The prosecution or plaintiff typically bears the burden of proving the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt; witnesses can corroborate the allegations, strengthening the case against the accused, but there is nothing like that in this matter concocted by Tigran Gambaryan”.
When an anonymous philosopher wrote that :”It is foolish to be convinced without evidence”, he probably had the mischievous character called Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of an American based financial outfit: Binance in mind.
This is so because what has played out recently in a case of reckless allegations of bribery made by Tigran Gambaryan against Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes; Hon. Philip Agbese, Deputy Spokesperson, House of Representatives, and Hon. Peter Akpanke, is simply an evil intent to embarrass the innocent law makers.
This write up was provoked having looked at the matter painstakingly and exhaustively. Tigran Gambaryan, who was recently tried in Nigeria for financial crimes; held for months over allegations of massive money laundering and aiding criminal activities, and was released on humanitarian grounds, after the charges were dropped following U.S. government intervention, looks every inch a despicable agent of malice.
It is clear that Tigran Gambaryan having made solo attempts on behalf of Binance to commit huge financial crimes in Nigeria, and having failed miserably to have his way, which led to his investigation and ultimate incarceration, has now turned full circle to unleash a pound of flesh against patriotic Nigerian law makers,( who investigated him) which has now manifested in his fictional claims that he was asked to pay the sum of a $150 million bribe while he was in detention.
Having dissected the position of both the Federal Government of Nigeria, and that of the House of Representatives about the unfortunate saga of Tigran Gambaryan and Binance, it is the position of this piece that what is playing out is a case of baffling orchestrated web of malice and a piece of garbage concocted against these honourable members of House of Representatives.
In condemning this insane, ridiculous and absurd development, it is very obvious that Tigran Gambaryan is simply on a calculative mission to create unwarranted tension within the National Assembly, embarrass and disrespect the Federal Government of Nigeria.
In a matter of this nature, looking at the legal framework, the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The prosecution or plaintiff typically bears the burden of proving the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt; witnesses can corroborate the allegations, strengthening the case against the accused, but there is nothing like that in this matter concocted by Tigran Gambaryan.
The credibility of the accuser is grossly in doubt, an international crook who has no witnesses to determine the reliability of his allegations. The accused has the fundamental human rights to deny the allegations, requiring whatever prosecution Tigran Gambaryan is planning to come up with, to provide stronger evidence. By considering these factors, one can effectively see that the onus of proof in a matter of allegations about asking for a bribe lies solely with the accuser.
In a case of alleged bribery where Tigran Gambaryan is the only one making the allegations, one could ask what motivated
him, because there is a history of conflict between him and Hon. Ginger Onwusibe and other innocent honourable members of the House of Representatives.
The monstrous character of Tigran Gambaryan was even recently mercilessly rubbished by Ben Murray-Bruce, a former senator, who has challenged Tigran Gambaryan, to undergo a lie detector over similar bribery allegations he made against Nuhu Ribadu, the current National Security Adviser.
Gambaryan, who served as Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, was detained in Nigeria from February to October 2024; his arrest was part of a broader investigation into alleged money laundering and economic destabilisation attributed to Binance’s activities in Nigeria.
Tigran Gambaryan’s reckless allegations against the lawmakers of soliciting a $150 million bribe has been eloquently dismissed by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the House of Representatives, as false and unsubstantiated.
The former senator, Ben Murray – Bruce had even lamented the fact that Gambaryan should have been grateful for the opportunity to leave the country, adding that if Ribadu had his way, the Binance executive would be serving a life sentence in prison.
It is seething and unimaginable that international rogues like Tigran Gambaryan keep dragging Nigeria’s name through the mud with baseless accusations and fabricated “evidence.”
In the light of the above, l hereby use this medium to tell Nigerian people never to fall for the desperate antics of a man already in the pit of utter disgrace looking for whom he would smear with the mud.
Finally, it will be foolish of us to believe Tigran Gambaryan without an iota of evidence.
Austen is the Clerk, House of Representatives committee on Financial Crimes