The United States of America Congress-man linked with a one time Nigeria's vice president Abubakar Atiku in a corruption scandal, is no more a congressman. Mr. William Jefferson was ousted today, December 6, 2008 from the United States 2nd congressional seat he hitherto occupied from the State of Louisiana. It was this congressman who gave impetus to the term cold-cash when a whopping ninety (90) thousand dollars USD was found stuffed among meat products in his deep freezer, frozen in time until the atmosphere is conducive for its use. However he had a congressional immunity and his prosecution was delayed. Nemesis finally caught up with him with the loss of his congressional seat, so, may be the long arm of the law will finally catch up with him equally with his prosecution and eventual imprisonment if found guilty; although he will find it tough explaining the source of the frozen ninety thousand dollars in his deep freezer.
Nigeria's Abubarkar Atiku, a former vice president under Olusegun Obasanjo allegedly had some business transactions with this congressman during which some gratifications changed hands. Who knows what will become of the investigation, now that both men have lost their immunity cover - Abubakar Atiku is no longer Nigeria's vice president and William Jefferson has been ousted from his congressional seat and by a little known quantum, a Vietnamese-American named, Anh Cao, a Republican. According to news report reaching Iche
okudotcom, Democratic Party Representative William Jefferson has been defeated tonight by a little known Republican for re-election to the United States House of Representatives. Voters in Louisiana ousted the indicted Democratic Rep. William Jefferson on Saturday, December 6th, 2008 and instead elected the first Vietnamese-American member of Congress, Attorney Anh Cao, 41 years old (left)It would have been William Jefferson's tenth term in congress representing Louisiana's 2nd district but Republicans' aggressive push to take the seat from the 61-year-old "corrupt" incumbent Jefferson paid off big time. They won it. The national GOP ran campaign advertisement citing Jefferson’s indictment for corruption and apparently they paid off. Icheoku says that the once congressman William Jefferson will now have plenty of time to fight the corruption charges facing him when his trial eventually begins; although no trial date has been set, yet. It is a big embarrassment for the Democratic Party who should have kicked this corrupt congressman out of congress when this scandal first broke. Also for a Vietnamese-American to be elected in a congressional district with majority of black residents shows that America has changed for the better. Icheoku says congratulations to this another first, Anh Cao! First they elected President-elect Barack Obama, a black in a white-majority country and now an Asian in a black majority district. Although it was a black-eye for the Democrats losing a seat in a majority-black district to the Republicans, as this congressman could not even ride the co-tail of Barack Obama's political wave to victory! This shows that corruption is a serious matter in the United States of America and Icheoku prays that Nigeria takes note!
Congressman Jefferson Probe Leads to Crisis in Nigerian Government
ReplyDeleteNovember 03, 2006 12:56 PM
Brian Ross and Joseph Rhee Report:
Nigerian officials say the bribery investigation of Congressman William Jefferson (D-La.) has uncovered a massive corruption scheme involving several members at the highest levels of the Nigerian government.
Acting on information provided by the FBI, Nigerian fraud investigators have now indicted Vice President Atiku Abubakar on 14 counts of corruption, involving tens of millions of dollars allegedly diverted from government accounts.
According to Nuhu Ribadu, head of a new anti-corruption squad created by Nigeria's president, $23 million of the diverted money is still missing. Ribadu said $6.7 million of the missing funds has been traced to a U.S. company tied to Congressman Jefferson's family.
THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
Video Nigerian VP Maintains Innocence in Jefferson Investigation
The Inside Story of FBI's Historic Raid on Capitol Hill
Undercover FBI Agent Drove Rep. Jefferson to Nigerian Vice President's House
Click Here to Check Out More of the Brian Ross Page
Ribadu said, "He, as a congressman of the U.S.A., he used that position to initiate and transact business in Nigeria, and as a result of it, money was taken out from the government of Nigeria, and that money was lost."
During the case, Nigerian investigators discovered that their vice president was living part of the year in a $2 million mansion outside Washington, D.C., purchased in the name of his fourth wife, an American. It was here in July of 2005, investigators say, that Jefferson met with Vice President Abubakar to allegedly discuss steering a Nigerian telecommunications contract to the U.S. firm. According to the FBI, at that meeting Abubakar demanded up to half of the future profits in the deal in exchange for his assistance.
In August, $90 thousand of marked FBI cash was found in Jefferson's freezer, money that the FBI says was the first installment of a $500,000 bribe to the Nigerian vice president to help further the business deal.
Jefferson has not yet been charged with a crime and is running for re-election. Maintaining that he is innocent, Jefferson said, "I never intended to dishonor my office...and I certainly did not sell my office."
In an interview with ABC News, Vice President Abubakar denied any wrongdoing, saying, "The allegations against me have no substance because it cannot be proved." He said he neither asked for nor received a kickback or a bribe and said that Jefferson was using his name to defraud American investors. According to Abubakar, "He betrayed my trust, and he betrayed the trust of my country."
Several other top Nigerian officials, including a state governor, have also been implicated in the scheme to divert government funds, triggering a political crisis in Parliament. Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo was forced to go on television to declare a state of emergency after the indicted governor apparently fled the country.
US probes Nigeria vice-president
ReplyDeleteAbubakar used to be a close ally of President Obasanjo
The US government says federal agents have raided the Maryland home of Nigerian Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
The search took place on 3 August, but officials refused to confirm reports that it was linked to raids on homes belonging to a Louisiana congressman.
There has been no comment on the case from Mr Abubakar.
The announcement coincides with remarks by Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo accusing his deputy, formerly his close ally, of doubtful loyalty.
US congressman William Jefferson's properties were searched on the same day.
I brought out a Bible and a Koran and I said... we should not have a house divided. He refused to swear
President Obasanjo
A Democrat who has served eight terms in the House of Representatives, Mr Jefferson has come under scrutiny as the FBI looks into an international telecommunications deal.
Investigators are interested in Mr Jefferson's links with Mr Abubakar and the vice-president of Ghana, Aliu Mahama, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.
According to the newspaper, Mr Jefferson visited Ghana in mid-July.
Low profile
Although he is technically the second most powerful man in Nigeria, Mr Abubakar has kept a low profile in recent months, says the BBC's Grant Ferrett.
Political manoeuvres within the governing party have undermined his ambitions to stand for the presidency in elections scheduled to take place in two years' time.
On national television and radio, Mr Obasanjo said he had questioned Mr Abubakar's loyalty to his face.
"I brought out a Bible and a Koran and I said... we should not have a house divided. He refused to swear because he obviously knew that the proven cases [of disloyalty] are proven."
Mr Obasanjo denied swearing an oath to his deputy pledging that he would not stand for re-election in two years' time.
He said he had publicly sworn to defend the Nigerian constitution, which prevents him standing for a third term in office, and so did not need to make such promises in private.
These comments have prompted some observers to question whether the FBI investigations are linked to such disagreements.
Mr Abubakar reportedly only uses his home in Potomac, Maryland for a few months each year.
His wife, Jennifer, is a doctoral student in international relations at the American University in Washington.
Congressman Jefferson Probe Leads to Crisis in Nigerian Government
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November 03, 2006 12:56 PMBrian Ross and Joseph Rhee Report:-->
Nigerian officials say the bribery investigation of Congressman William Jefferson (D-La.) has uncovered a massive corruption scheme involving several members at the highest levels of the Nigerian government.
Acting on information provided by the FBI, Nigerian fraud investigators have now indicted Vice President Atiku Abubakar on 14 counts of corruption, involving tens of millions of dollars allegedly diverted from government accounts.
According to Nuhu Ribadu, head of a new anti-corruption squad created by Nigeria's president, $23 million of the diverted money is still missing. Ribadu said $6.7 million of the missing funds has been traced to a U.S. company tied to Congressman Jefferson's family.
THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS
Video Nigerian VP Maintains Innocence in Jefferson Investigation
The Inside Story of FBI's Historic Raid on Capitol Hill
Undercover FBI Agent Drove Rep. Jefferson to Nigerian Vice President's House
Click Here to Check Out More of the Brian Ross Page
Ribadu said, "He, as a congressman of the U.S.A., he used that position to initiate and transact business in Nigeria, and as a result of it, money was taken out from the government of Nigeria, and that money was lost."
During the case, Nigerian investigators discovered that their vice president was living part of the year in a $2 million mansion outside Washington, D.C., purchased in the name of his fourth wife, an American. It was here in July of 2005, investigators say, that Jefferson met with Vice President Abubakar to allegedly discuss steering a Nigerian telecommunications contract to the U.S. firm. According to the FBI, at that meeting Abubakar demanded up to half of the future profits in the deal in exchange for his assistance.
In August, $90 thousand of marked FBI cash was found in Jefferson's freezer, money that the FBI says was the first installment of a $500,000 bribe to the Nigerian vice president to help further the business deal.
Jefferson has not yet been charged with a crime and is running for re-election. Maintaining that he is innocent, Jefferson said, "I never intended to dishonor my office...and I certainly did not sell my office."
In an interview with ABC News, Vice President Abubakar denied any wrongdoing, saying, "The allegations against me have no substance because it cannot be proved." He said he neither asked for nor received a kickback or a bribe and said that Jefferson was using his name to defraud American investors. According to Abubakar, "He betrayed my trust, and he betrayed the trust of my country."
Several other top Nigerian officials, including a state governor, have also been implicated in the scheme to divert government funds, triggering a political crisis in Parliament. Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo was forced to go on television to declare a state of emergency after the indicted governor apparently fled the country.
Corruption: Jefferson wants Atiku‘s wife to testify
ReplyDeleteBy Olayinka Oyebode with agency report
Published: Wednesday, 7 Jan 2009
Embattled United States Congressman, Mr. William Jefferson, is currently struggling to get one of the wives of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, Jennifer, to testify in his defence in the bribery and corruption case against him by the US government.
Jennifer’s American lawyer, Mr. Edward Weinden, however said that her client was not on the run, adding that she would willing to give her testimony at mutually agreed neutral ground, outside the US.
Jefferson is being tried based on his complicity in an alleged bribery case involving him and the former vice-president in August 2005.
The bribe was part of a scheme involving him to promote Nigeria‘s adoption of internet technology from iGate Inc; an American firm.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jefferson allegedly told an informant that he would need to give Atiku $500,000 to help secure the contracts. There was no evidence that the former Number Two citizen received or asked for the bribe.
Jefferson had alleged collected $100,000 from a business partner to give Atiku, but $90,000 of the marked money was later found in his house wrapped in a foil and neatly tucked away in a freezer.
According to a US-based Nigerian news agency reports, the Congressman‘s attorneys, said they found it difficult getting Jenifer, in any of her addresses in Nigeria and the US, thereby making serving her court-authorised subpoena impossible.
They added that the former VP‘s lawyers in the US had also refused to help locate her new address on the excuse that they had no such authorisation from the Abubakars.
In papers filed last week in a US district court in Virginia, lawyers to the Congressman said ”the defence unsuccessfully attempted to serve a trial subpoena on Mrs. Abubakar at the home she owned in Potomac, Maryland. The Defence then requested that Mrs Abubakar‘s American counsel accept service of a trial subpoena on her behalf, but was told that they were not authorised to do so.”
The Congressman‘s lawyers have stated that the US lawyers of the former VP advised them that ”Mrs. Abubakar now lives outside of the US, but that they were not authorised to provide the defence with her current residential address.”
The US Congressman who has been accused of conspiring to violate the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Acts, FCPA, through the alleged payment of a bribe to the former vice-president, filed a new motion last week at a US district court in Virginia seeking the court‘s approval of alternative means to serve her a trial subpoena.
After the US court had authorised the issuance of a trial subpoena on Jennifer in July last year, the defence lawyers said they sought to serve the subpoena abortively.
According to the new court papers: ”The defence then sought to personally serve Mrs. Abubakar in Nigeria. Nigerian attorney, David Ogebe, obtained addresses for a Nigerian residence of the Abubakars and for the Gede Foundation, a foundation for the promotion of health in Nigeria that was founded and is run by Mrs. Abubakar.”
However, the effort failed, according to the defence lawyers.
The defence team said, ”Mr Ogebe attempted to serve Mrs Abubakar at each of those locations, but was unsuccessful. Ogebe was advised by the executive Director of the Gede Foundation, Boglosa, that Mrs. Abubakar was not in Nigeria and that her current addressed could not be released to him, ” according to Jefferson‘s new motion.
Previous attempts by Jefferson and his lawyers to secure the testimony of Mrs Abubakar failed when a US court rejected a plan to take her deposition outside the US.
Weinden, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday, said that the US laws allowed her to give her testimony outside the US.
Weinden said, “If the court agrees to take her testimony today, she will make the arrangement. She is not accused of anything, so she has no reason to be on the run.”