尼日利亞 FG 否認幣安執行長的賄賂指控

Nigeria's FG Denies Binance CEO's Bribery Allegation

尼日利亞 FG 否認幣安執行長的賄賂指控

On Tuesday, the Federal Government (FG) of Nigeria vowed to pursue the criminal case against the crypto platform, Binance, and its officials, to a logical end.

週二，尼日利亞聯邦政府 (FG) 發誓要對加密貨幣平台幣安及其官員提起刑事訴訟，以取得合理的結果。

Top officials of the President Bola Tinubu administration described as false and unfounded the accusation that some individuals demanded a $150 million bribe in cryptocurrency to settle the criminal charge against the firm. This allegation was made by Binance Chief Executive Officer, Richard Teng, in a blog post published by the New York Times.

總統博拉·蒂努布 (Bola Tinubu) 政府的高級官員稱，有關一些人索要 1.5 億美元的加密貨幣賄賂以和解對該公司的刑事指控的指控是虛假且毫無根據的。這項指控是幣安執行長鄧理查德在《紐約時報》發表的一篇部落格文章中提出的。

The NYT reported that on a trip to Nigeria in January, Tigran Gambaryan, a compliance officer with the exchange, received an unsettling message: The company had 48 hours to make a payment of roughly $150 million in crypto.

根據《紐約時報》報道，該交易所合規官 Tigran Gambaryan 在 1 月前往奈及利亞時收到了一條令人不安的消息：該公司有 48 小時的時間支付約 1.5 億美元的加密貨幣。

Gambaryan, a former United States law enforcement agent, understood the message as a request for a bribe from someone in the Nigerian government.

前美國執法人員甘巴揚將此訊息理解為奈及利亞政府某人索賄的請求。

The incident allegedly occurred before Gambaryan and a colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were arrested and detained on the orders of the National Security Adviser. Anjarwalla subsequently escaped and has been traced to Kenya.

據稱，該事件發生在甘巴良和同事納迪姆·安賈爾瓦拉 (Nadeem Anjarwalla) 根據國家安全顧問的命令被捕並拘留之前。安賈爾瓦拉隨後逃脫並被追蹤至肯亞。

Gambaryan has been held in Kuje Correctional Facility for the last four weeks, after he was transferred there from a safe house on April 8.

甘巴良於 4 月 8 日從安全屋被轉移到庫傑懲教所，之後已被關押了四週。

Both Binance and Gambaryan are facing trial for tax evasion and money laundering. Their trial was scheduled to begin last Thursday, but the court postponed it until May 17.

幣安和 Gambaryan 都面臨逃稅和洗錢的審判。他們的審判原定於上週四開始，但法院將其推遲至 5 月 17 日。

Gambaryan reportedly wrote a three-page report describing the payment request and gave it to Binance's lawyers, two people familiar with the report told NYT. He also reportedly alerted contacts in the Nigerian government and recounted the incident to them.

兩位知情人士告訴《紐約時報》，據報道，甘巴揚寫了一份三頁的報告，描述了付款請求，並將其交給了幣安的律師。據報道，他還向尼日利亞政府的聯絡人發出了警報，並向他們講述了這一事件。

Binance had denied that Gambaryan had any "decision-making power" in the company.

幣安否認甘巴揚在公司擁有任何「決策權」。

The case is the latest legal headache for Binance, which agreed to a $4.3 billion fine last year to settle charges by the US government that it allowed criminal activity to flourish on its platform. In April, the company's founder, Changpeng Zhao, was sentenced to four months in prison for his role in those violations.

此案是幣安面臨的最新法律難題，幣安去年同意處以 43 億美元的罰款，以和解美國政府對其平台上允許犯罪活動猖獗的指控。 4 月，該公司創始人趙長鵬因參與這些違法行為而被判處四個月監禁。

The spokesman for the ONSA, Zakari Mijinyawa, said in a text message to NYT that the Federal Government would make its case "on the strength of the facts and evidence, in accordance with due process."

ONSA 發言人 Zakari Mijinyawa 在給《紐約時報》的簡訊中表示，聯邦政府將「根據正當程序，根據事實和證據」提出理由。

"We are confident that Nigeria has a good case. Binance equally will have every opportunity under the rule of law to make its case and see justice delivered," Mijinyawa said.

Mijinyawa 表示：“我們相信尼日利亞有一個很好的案子。幣安同樣將在法治下擁有一切機會來陳述案情並確保正義得到伸張。”

In his post, Teng laid out the history of Binance's engagement with Nigeria, which has become a hotspot for the crypto industry. It has the second-highest rate of crypto adoption in the world behind India, according to Chainalysis, a data firm.

騰在貼文中闡述了幣安與尼日利亞合作的歷史，尼日利亞已成為加密產業的熱點。根據數據公司 Chainaanalysis 的數據，該國的加密貨幣採用率位居世界第二，僅次於印度。

In 2023, the financial regulators issued a statement directing Binance to stop soliciting investors in Nigeria. Binance halted its advertising in the country and offered to meet with government officials, Teng said.

2023 年，金融監理機關發布聲明，指示幣安停止在奈及利亞招攬投資者。滕說，幣安停止了在該國的廣告活動，並提出與政府官員會面。

On January 8, Teng said Gambaryan and a group of Binance employees met with lawmakers, but the meeting was contentious. The lawmakers, he wrote, read aloud a list of accusations against Binance, including tax violations.

1 月 8 日，滕表示，甘巴良和幣安的一群員工會見了立法者，但會議存在爭議。他寫道，議員們大聲宣讀了針對幣安的一系列指控，其中包括稅務違規行為。

As the Binance employees left the meeting, Teng wrote they were approached by "unknown persons" who suggested that they make a payment to settle the allegations.

滕寫道，當幣安員工離開會議時，「身份不明的人」找到他們，建議他們付款以和解指控。

Later, a local lawyer representing Binance spoke with someone purporting to be an agent of the House committee, Teng further claimed in his article, adding that the purported agent demanded "a significant payment in cryptocurrency to be paid in secret within 48 hours to make these issues go away."

隨後，代表幣安的當地律師與自稱是眾議院委員會代理人的人進行了交談，滕在他的文章中進一步聲稱，並補充說，這名所謂的代理人要求“在48 小時內秘密支付一筆大筆加密貨幣款項，以實現這些目標”。問題就會消失。”

The amount was roughly $150 million, four people familiar with the matter said, according to a Bloomberg report, quoting NYT sources.

根據彭博社報道，四名知情人士引述《紐約時報》消息人士的話稱，這筆金額約為 1.5 億美元。

"Our team grew increasingly concerned about their safety in Nigeria and immediately departed. We, of course, declined the payment demand via our counsel, not viewing it to be a legitimate settlement offer," Teng wrote in his post.

「我們的團隊越來越擔心他們在尼日利亞的安全，並立即離開。當然，我們透過律師拒絕了付款要求，不認為這是一個合法的和解提議，」滕在貼文中寫道。

Teng claimed that Binance had received assurances that Gambaryan would be safe if he returned to Nigeria. According to him, a company adviser with deep local connections recommended that Binance officials meet with the ONSA.

滕聲稱，幣安已得到保證，如果甘巴揚返回尼日利亞，他將是安全的。據他介紹，一位與當地有深厚關係的公司顧問建議幣安官員與 ONSA 會面。

However, a prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ekele Iheanacho, dismissed Teng's allegation, vowing to prosecute the case to the end.

然而，經濟和金融犯罪委員會檢察官埃克勒·伊希納喬(Ekele Iheanacho)駁回了滕的指控，並發誓要起訴到底。

Iheanacho, one of the lawyers prosecuting the Binance officials, said, ''Nobody demanded any money, the case is being taken to a logical conclusion. He's making it up although I am not aware of any such allegations. As far as I am concerned, the charges are going on and we are making every effort to ensure that we get to a logical end.''

起訴幣安高管的律師之一伊希納喬 (Iheanacho) 表示，“沒有人索要任何金錢，此案正在得出合乎邏輯的結論。”儘管我不知道有任何此類指控，但他正在編造。就我而言，指控仍在繼續，我們正在盡一切努力確保我們得到一個合乎邏輯的結局。

The Media Adviser to the Attorney-General of the Federation, Kamarudeen Ogundele, directed inquiries to the information minister and the Presidency. He said "You can call the minister of information or president's spokesperson. This allegation is not court-related. It is not an allegation against the Attorney-General of the Federation.

聯邦總檢察長媒體顧問卡馬魯丁·奧貢德勒 (Kamarudeen Ogundele) 向新聞部長和總統府提出質疑。他說：“你可以打電話給新聞部長或總統發言人。這項指控與法庭無關。這不是針對聯邦總檢察長的指控。”

The information minister, Mohammed Idris, could not be reached for comment as calls to his phone rang out.

由於電話響起，記者無法聯繫到資訊部長穆罕默德·伊德里斯置評。

But senior officials, who spoke in separate interviews with The PUNCH on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk about the matter, dared the Binance boss to reveal the names of individuals who demanded the bribe.

但由於無權談論此事，高級官員在接受 The PUNCH 單獨採訪時要求匿名，他們向幣安老闆透露了索賄者的姓名。

A top official in the ONSA, who is close to the probe, said, "Did he (Binance CEO) mention a name? Since he didn't mention a name, why should anyone be worried? Why should anyone waste their time if somebody made an unfounded allegation but could not mention any name?"

一位接近調查的 ONSA 高級官員表示，「他（幣安首席執行官）提到過一個名字嗎？既然他沒有提到名字，為什麼有人要擔心？為什麼有人要浪費時間，如果有人毫無根據的指控卻不能提及任何名字？

A top EFCC chief, who is close to the trial, also said, "If someone would say something like this, he should have the capacity to mention the people. It's not worth our time, anybody can say anything but as long as they can't substantiate it, it's a waste of time. He should mention names, if not, all that he's saying is rubbish."

一位接近審判的 EFCC 高級負責人也表示，“如果有人會說這樣的話，他應該有能力提及這些人。這不值得我們花時間，任何人都可以說任何話，但只要他們能說”不證實這一點，那是浪費時間，他應該提到名字，否則，他說的都是垃圾。

Two top officials at the EFCC accused the Binance CEO of blackmailing the Federal Government. They noted that Teng's claim was frivolous, describing his action as "the modus operandi of foreign personalities and corporations facing legal charges in Nigeria and other African countries."

EFCC 的兩名高級官員指責幣安執行長敲詐聯邦政府。他們指出，滕的說法毫無意義，稱其行為是「在奈及利亞和其他非洲國家面臨法律指控的外國人士和公司的作案手法」。

One of the sources noted, "It is not only the EFCC that is prosecuting or investigating Binance over its atrocities against Nigeria. There are allegations of money laundering, and tax evasion, amongst others, against the company, and several federal government agencies are probing the company's activities in the country.

其中一位消息人士指出，「不僅僅是 EFCC 正在起訴或調查幣安對尼日利亞的暴行。該公司還被指控洗錢和逃稅等，多個聯邦政府機構正在調查公司在該國的活動。

"But the latest comment about an alleged request for bribery by the Binance CEO is a blackmail against the Federal Government. That is the modus operandi of international corporations and individuals facing charges in Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa."

“但有關幣安首席執行官涉嫌行賄請求的最新評論是對聯邦政府的敲詐。這是在尼日利亞或非洲其他任何地方面臨指控的國際公司和個人的作案手法。”

A senior official noted, "It is the tradition of these international players to blackmail the country whenever they're caught. What is the correlation between the alleged request for bribes and the allegations brought against Binance?

一位高級官員指出，“這些國際參與者一旦被捕就會敲詐國家，這是他們的傳統。涉嫌索賄和針對幣安的指控之間有何關聯？”

"The facts are there – they evaded tax, their platform is being used to launder money, so why are they not facing the facts? The claim is frivolous and a mere blackmail against the government."

「事實擺在眼前——他們逃稅，他們的平台被用來洗錢，那麼他們為什麼不面對事實呢？這種說法很無聊，純粹是對政府的敲詐。”

The spokesperson for ONSA, Mijinyawa, could not be reached for comments on Tuesday. He did not respond to calls and a message sent to his phone.

週二未能聯繫到 ONSA 發言人 Mijinyawa 發表評論。他沒有回覆電話，也沒有回覆發送到他手機上的訊息。

The spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, declined comment.

EFCC 發言人德勒·奧耶瓦勒 (Dele Oyewale) 拒絕發表評論。

CSOs React

民間團體的反應

Commenting on the development, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Musa Ibrahim, said he wasn't surprised by the allegation, noting the bad reputation of Nigeria's administrative justice system.

民間社會立法倡導中心執行董事奧瓦爾·穆薩·易卜拉欣在評論事態發展時表示，他對這項指控並不感到驚訝，並指出尼日利亞行政司法系統的不良聲譽。

He urged the CEO to "be bold enough" to name persons and organisations involved in the alleged demand for bribes so that they could be dealt with decisively.

他敦促執行長“足夠大膽”，說出涉嫌索賄的個人和組織的名字，以便果斷處理。

"This allegation is not enough, it should be investigated and let Nigerians know those undermining their country's integrity. The (Binance) CEO should be bold enough to mention those individuals or corporate organisations that have demanded bribes on this matter.

「這項指控還不夠，應該進行調查，讓尼日利亞人知道那些破壞國家誠信的人。（幣安）執行長應該大膽提及那些在此事上索要賄賂的個人或企業組織。

"This is important in order not to make frivolous accusations and to also deal decisively with these public officials who always mortgage this country. So, we urge him to be courageous and bold enough to also mention those individuals, those organisations, those government officials, if at all they were involved", he said

「這一點很重要，以便不做出無意義的指控，並果斷地處理這些總是抵押這個國家的公職人員。因此，我們敦促他有足夠的勇氣和膽量提及那些個人、那些組織、那些政府官員，如果他們真的參與其中的話”，他說

Similarly, the Chairman of the Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, said Binance should be compelled to name the alleged persons so they can be prosecuted.

同樣，問責和開放領導中心主席 Debo Adeniran 表示，幣安應該被迫公佈被指控人員的姓名，以便對他們進行起訴。

He added that the officials who allowed the Binance executive to slip out of the country should be equally investigated.

他補充說，那些允許幣安高層溜出該國的官員也應該受到同樣的調查。

"Binance should be compelled to name names, and everyone involved should be prosecuted and punished. All the agencies involved in the Binance case; DSS, NIA, DMI, Immigration Services, which let him slip out of Nigeria should be investigated and culpable offenders should be prosecuted and given deterrent punishment,’’ he suggested.

「幣安應該被強制點名，所有參與其中的人都應該受到起訴和懲罰。所有參與幣安案件的機構；DSS、NIA、DMI、移民局，讓他溜出尼日利亞的都應該受到調查，有罪的罪犯應該受到調查。

Binance did not respond to email queries to provide clarity and insight on the ‘unknown persons’ who suggested making payment to settle the allegations.

幣安沒有回覆電子郵件詢問，以澄清和深入了解建議付款以解決指控的「身份不明的人」。

The crypto exchange did not also respond to how much the ‘unknown persons’ requested.

該加密貨幣交易所也沒有回應「身份不明者」的要求。

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