The Federal Government has dropped all charges against Tigran Gambaryan, an executive at Binance Holdings, who has been facing money laundering trial from detention since April.
A lawyer representing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) – the prosecuting agency – announced the withdrawal of the charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja Wednesday morning.
The hearing, coming two days before the 25 October earlier scheduled as the return date by the trial judge in the open court last Friday, appeared to have been intentionally held to avoid public attention as much as possible.
Announcing the withdrawal of the charges, the lawyer said Mr Gambaryan, a United States citizen, was merely an employee of Binance, whose activities he was being prosecuted for.
Mark Mordi, SAN, representing Mr. Gambaryan, aligned with the prosecution, stating his client was not involved in the company’s financial decisions.
Behind-the-scenes lobbying between Nigerian and U.S. officials has intensified, with U.S. lawmakers campaigning for Gambaryan’s release after his bail was twice denied due to flight risk concerns.
Despite his health claims, the court rejected his second bail application. Surprisingly, Gambaryan was absent at his scheduled trial continuation on 18 October.
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Source – Premium Times