Mr. Gambaryan, a former U.S. law enforcement agent, understood the message as a request for a bribe from someone in the Nigerian government, according to five people familiar with the matter and messages reviewed by The New York Times.
He and a group of his Binance colleagues had just met with Nigerian legislators, who accused the company of tax violations and threatened to arrest its employees.
Later that month, Mr. Gambaryan wrote a three-page report describing the payment request and gave it to Binance’s lawyers, two people familiar with the report said.
The episode was the backdrop for a second trip to Nigeria that Mr. Gambaryan took in February.
On his return, he and a colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, were arrested by the Nigerian authorities, setting off a crisis at Binance.
Persons:
Tigran Gambaryan, Gambaryan, Nadeem Anjarwalla
Organizations:
The New York Times
Locations:
Nigeria, U.S, Nigerian, Binance