A federal U.S court sitting in Alexandria, Virginia has indicted Congressman William Jefferson, D-La; for racketeering, money laundering and bribing former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar of Nigeria.
The charges listed in about 94 pages lists 16 alleged federal violations that are capable of keeping Jefferson in prison for up to 235 years according to a Justice Department official who does not want to be named.
By extension, Abubakar, the former Nigeria’s Vice-President can be prosecuted for receiving bribe if he remains in the United States where he is currently holidaying after a knee surgery.
According to court papers, Jefferson told associates that he needed money to pay bribe to former Vice-President Abubakar
Abubakar had denied receiving bribe from the U.S congressman. The issue featured prominently during the last Nigeria’s election where Abubakar lost placing third in the election that saw Musa Yar’Adua, the government favored candidate emerging under questionable circumstances.
However, courts record indicates that Jefferson was videotape taking a $100,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant. Most of that money later turned up in a freezer in Jefferson's home. $90,000 was found stuffed in a box in his freezer in 2005.
Two of Jefferson’s associates have already pleaded guilty in a plea bargain with prosecutors. One of them, Brett Pfeffer, a congressional aide who admitted soliciting bribe on Jefferson’s behalf 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.
Pfeffer and Jackson have agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the case against Jefferson in exchange for their plea
All efforts made by Pointblanknews to speak to Garba Shehu, spokesman to Atiku Abubakar were futile as he did not pick his phone or returned calls.