尼日利亚 FG 否认币安首席执行官的贿赂指控

Nigeria's FG Denies Binance CEO's Bribery Allegation

尼日利亚 FG 否认币安首席执行官的贿赂指控

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.

周二，尼日利亚联邦政府 (FG) 发誓要对加密货币平台币安及其官员提起刑事诉讼，以取得合理的结果。

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.

总统博拉·蒂努布 (Bola Tinubu) 政府的高级官员称，有关一些人索要 1.5 亿美元的加密货币贿赂以和解对该公司的刑事指控的指控是虚假且毫无根据的。这一指控是币安首席执行官邓理查德在《纽约时报》发表的一篇博客文章中提出的。

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.

据《纽约时报》报道，该交易所合规官 Tigran Gambaryan 在 1 月份前往尼日利亚时收到了一条令人不安的消息：该公司有 48 小时的时间支付约 1.5 亿美元的加密货币。

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

前美国执法人员甘巴扬将这条信息理解为尼日利亚政府某人索贿的请求。

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.

据称，该事件发生在甘巴良和同事纳迪姆·安贾尔瓦拉 (Nadeem Anjarwalla) 根据国家安全顾问的命令被捕并拘留之前。安贾尔瓦拉随后逃脱并被追踪至肯尼亚。

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.

甘巴良于 4 月 8 日从安全屋被转移到库杰惩教所，之后已被关押了四个星期。

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.

币安和 Gambaryan 都面临逃税和洗钱的审判。他们的审判原定于上周四开始，但法院将其推迟至 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.

两位知情人士告诉《纽约时报》，据报道，甘巴扬写了一份三页的报告，描述了付款请求，并将其交给了币安的律师。据报道，他还向尼日利亚政府的联系人发出了警报，并向他们讲述了这一事件。

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

币安否认甘巴扬在公司拥有任何“决策权”。

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.

此案是币安面临的最新法律难题，币安去年同意处以 43 亿美元的罚款，以和解美国政府对其平台上允许犯罪活动猖獗的指控。 4 月，该公司创始人赵长鹏因参与这些违法行为而被判处四个月监禁。

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 发言人扎卡里·米金亚瓦 (Zakari Mijinyawa) 在给《纽约时报》的短信中表示，联邦政府将“根据正当程序，根据事实和证据”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：“我们相信尼日利亚有一个很好的案子。币安同样将在法治下拥有一切机会来陈述案情并确保正义得到伸张。”

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.

腾在帖子中阐述了币安与尼日利亚合作的历史，尼日利亚已成为加密行业的热点。根据数据公司 Chainaanalysis 的数据，该国的加密货币采用率位居世界第二，仅次于印度。

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，金融监管机构发布声明，指示币安停止在尼日利亚招揽投资者。滕说，币安停止了在该国的广告活动，并提出与政府官员会面。

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，甘巴良和币安的一群员工会见了立法者，但会议存在争议。他写道，议员们大声宣读了针对币安的一系列指控，其中包括税务违规行为。

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.

滕写道，当币安员工离开会议时，“身份不明的人”找到他们，建议他们付款以和解指控。

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."

随后，代表币安的当地律师与自称是众议院委员会代理人的人进行了交谈，滕在他的文章中进一步声称，并补充说，这名所谓的代理人要求“在 48 小时内秘密支付一笔大笔加密货币款项，以实现这些目标”。问题就会消失。”

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

据彭博社报道，四名知情人士援引《纽约时报》消息人士的话称，这笔金额约为 1.5 亿美元。

"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.

“我们的团队越来越担心他们在尼日利亚的安全，并立即离开。当然，我们通过律师拒绝了付款要求，不认为这是一个合法的和解提议，”滕在帖子中写道。

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.

滕声称，币安已得到保证，如果甘巴扬返回尼日利亚，他将是安全的。据他介绍，一位与当地有深厚关系的公司顾问建议币安官员与 ONSA 会面。

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，经济和金融犯罪委员会检察官埃克勒·伊希纳乔(Ekele Iheanacho)驳回了滕的指控，并发誓要起诉到底。

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.''

起诉币安高管的律师之一伊希纳乔 (Iheanacho) 表示，“没有人索要任何金钱，此案正在得出合乎逻辑的结论。”尽管我不知道有任何此类指控，但他是在编造。就我而言，指控仍在继续，我们正在尽一切努力确保我们得到一个合乎逻辑的结局。”

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.

联邦总检察长媒体顾问卡马鲁丁·奥贡德勒 (Kamarudeen Ogundele) 向新闻部长和总统府提出质询。他说：“你可以打电话给新闻部长或总统发言人。这项指控与法庭无关。这不是针对联邦总检察长的指控。”

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

由于电话响起，记者无法联系到信息部长穆罕默德·伊德里斯置评。

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.

但由于无权谈论此事，高级官员在接受 The PUNCH 单独采访时要求匿名，他们向币安老板透露了索贿者的姓名。

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?"

一位接近调查的 ONSA 高级官员表示，“他（币安首席执行官）提到过一个名字吗？既然他没有提到名字，为什么有人要担心？为什么有人要浪费时间，如果有人毫无根据的指控却不能提及任何名字？”

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."

一位接近审判的 EFCC 高级负责人也表示，“如果有人会说这样的话，他应该有能力提及这些人。这不值得我们花时间，任何人都可以说任何话，但只要他们能说”不证实这一点，那是浪费时间，他应该提到名字，否则，他说的都是垃圾。”

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 的两名高级官员指责币安首席执行官敲诈联邦政府。他们指出，滕的说法毫无意义，称其行为是“在尼日利亚和其他非洲国家面临法律指控的外国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，“不仅仅是 EFCC 正在起诉或调查币安对尼日利亚的暴行。该公司还被指控洗钱和逃税等，多个联邦政府机构正在调查公司在该国的活动。

"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."

“但有关币安首席执行官涉嫌行贿请求的最新评论是对联邦政府的敲诈。这是在尼日利亚或非洲其他任何地方面临指控的国际公司和个人的作案手法。”

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?

一位高级官员指出，“这些国际参与者一旦被捕就会敲诈国家，这是他们的传统。涉嫌索贿和针对币安的指控之间有何关联？”

"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."

“事实摆在眼前——他们逃税，他们的平台被用来洗钱，那么他们为什么不面对事实呢？这种说法很无聊，纯粹是对政府的敲诈。”

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.

周二未能联系到 ONSA 发言人 Mijinyawa 发表评论。他没有回复电话，也没有回复发送到他手机上的消息。

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

EFCC 发言人德勒·奥耶瓦勒 (Dele Oyewale) 拒绝发表评论。

CSOs React

民间社会组织的反应

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.

民间社会立法倡导中心执行主任奥瓦尔·穆萨·易卜拉欣在评论事态发展时表示，他对这一指控并不感到惊讶，并指出尼日利亚行政司法系统的不良声誉。

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.

他敦促首席执行官“足够大胆”，说出涉嫌索贿的个人和组织的名字，以便果断处理。

"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.

“这一指控还不够，应该进行调查，让尼日利亚人知道那些破坏国家诚信的人。（币安）首席执行官应该大胆提及那些在此事上索要贿赂的个人或企业组织。

"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

“这一点很重要，以便不做出无意义的指控，并果断地处理这些总是抵押这个国家的公职人员。因此，我们敦促他有足够的勇气和胆量提及那些个人、那些组织、那些政府官员，如果他们真的参与其中的话”，他说

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.

同样，问责和开放领导中心主席德博·阿德尼兰 (Debo Adeniran) 表示，币安应该被迫公布被指控人员的姓名，以便对他们进行起诉。

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

他补充说，那些允许币安高管溜出该国的官员也应该受到同样的调查。

"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.

“币安应该被强制点名，所有参与其中的人都应该受到起诉和惩罚。所有参与币安案件的机构；DSS、NIA、DMI、移民局，让他溜出尼日利亚的都应该受到调查，有罪的罪犯应该受到调查。”受到起诉并给予威慑性惩罚，”他建议道。

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

币安没有回复电子邮件询问，以澄清和深入了解建议付款以解决指控的“身份不明的人”。

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

该加密货币交易所也没有回应“身份不明者”的要求。

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