US Court indicts Jefferson in bribery probe

By Emmanuel Aziken with agency reports
Posted to the Web: Tuesday, June 05, 2007

WASHINGTON — CONTROVERSIAL William Jefferson, member of the US Home of Representatives, was indicted yesterday on federal charges of racketeering, soliciting bribes and money-laundering in a long-running bribery investigation into business deals he tried to broker in Nigeria and some other African countries.

The indictment handed up in a federal court in Alexandria, Va., yesterday is 94 pages long and lists 16 alleged violations of federal law that could keep Jefferson in prison for up to 235 years, according to a Justice Department official who has seen the document.

Among the charges listed in the indictment, said the official, are racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money-laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the case.
Jefferson is accused of soliciting bribes for himself and his family, and also for bribing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Almost two years ago, in August 2005, investigators raided Jefferson’s home in Louisiana and found $90,000 in cash stuffed into a box in his freezer.
Jefferson, 63, whose Louisiana district includes New Orleans, has said little about the case publicly but has maintained his innocence. He was re-elected last year despite the looming investigation.

Jefferson, in Louisiana yesterday, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Two of Jefferson’s associates have already struck plea bargains with prosecutors and have been sentenced.
Brett Pfeffer, a former congressional aide, admitted soliciting bribes on Jefferson’s behalf and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Another Jefferson associate, Louisville, Ky., telecommunications executive Vernon Jackson, pleaded guilty to paying between $400,000 and $1 million in bribes to Jefferson in exchange for his assistance securing business deals in Nigeria and other African nations. Jackson was sentenced to more than seven years in prison.
Both Pfeffer and Jackson agreed to cooperate in the case against Jefferson in exchanges for their pleas.

The impact of the case has stretched across continents and even roiled presidential politics in Nigeria. According to court records, Jefferson told associates that he needed cash to pay bribes to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Abubakar denied the allegations, which figured prominently in the April presidential elections.
Court records indicate that Jefferson was videotaped taking a $100,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant. Most of that money later turned up in a freezer in Jefferson’s home.

In May 2006, the FBI raided Jefferson’s congressional office, the first of such raid on a sitting congressman’s Capitol office. That move sparked a constitutional debate over whether the executive branch stepped over its boundary.

The legality of the raid is still being argued on appeal. House leaders objected to the search, saying it was an unconstitutional intrusion on the lawmaking process. The FBI said the raid was necessary because Jefferson and his legal team had failed to respond to requests for documents.

Some but not all the documents seized in the raid have been turned over to Justice Department prosecutors.
Responding to the indictment yesterday, Atiku speaking through his media consultant, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the indictment confirmed his earlier assertion that Jefferson was on his own.

He said: “We are happy with the outcome because it has no implications on the former Vice President. We have always said that Jefferson was on his own and this finding has confirmed our position on the matter."


So the question now is :was OBJ right when he said this? What should happen to Atiku now that his man has been indicted?