Nigerian link led to FBI raid in corruption case - Americas - International Herald Tribune
By PHILIP SHENONJUNE 7, 2006

WASHINGTON — The FBI raided the Maryland home of the vice president of Nigeria last summer in search of bribe money that the bureau believed had been paid to him by Representative William Jefferson, according to court documents.

The documents released Tuesday included an affidavit signed by an FBI agent who said that the Nigerian vice president, Atiku Abubakar, now a candidate for president of that oil-rich West African country, asked for at least half of the profits of a technology company controlled by Jefferson that was seeking to do business in Nigeria.

About the same time last year, the documents said, Jefferson told colleagues of his plans to bribe Nigerian officials, including Abubakar, in exchange for their help in winning business in Nigeria, and that Abubakar would be paid as much as $500,000 in cash.

The FBI affidavit, which was dated Aug. 2, and other documents were made public over the objections of Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who is the target of a wide-ranging corruption investigation. He has denied wrongdoing and has said the information in the court papers would unfairly damage his reputation.

In the affidavit, an FBI agent, Edward Cooper, said cellphone records suggested that Jefferson visited a home owned by Abubakar and his wife in Potomac, Maryland, an affluent suburb of Washington, around midnight last July 31 with the intention of delivering money to the Nigerian leader while he was on a visit to the United States. The next day, the FBI said, Jefferson told a confidential informant that he had delivered "African art," which the agent described as code for a cash payment, and that Abubakar "was very pleased."


A separate search of Jefferson's home in Washington in August turned up $90,000 in cash that, FBI documents suggest, had been intended for the Nigerian leader. An FBI affidavit stated that the money had been hidden by Jefferson in his home freezer.

The Nigerian Embassy in Washington had no comment Tuesday on the disclosures in the court documents about Abubakar, whose name had emerged previously in news reports about the investigation of Jefferson. The Associated Press quoted a spokesman for Abubakar in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, as declining to comment Tuesday "until we have seen these reports or allegations." Jefferson's congressional office referred questions to his lawyer, who has not returned repeated phone calls seeking comment.

Bush administration officials have been reluctant to speculate publicly about the effect of the investigation of Jefferson on American relations with Nigeria, which is one of the largest exporters of oil to the United States.

"With regard to the Nigerian business venture, Jefferson has discussed the making of payments to high-ranking government officials there, including the vice president of Nigeria," Cooper wrote in the affidavit last August, which was intended to persuade a judge to allow the search of Abubakar's Maryland home.

"The vice president agreed to help secure the necessary approvals for the participants in the Nigerian business venture" in exchange for "at least 50 percent of the profits," it continued, adding that Jefferson had also discussed "the payment of a substantial monetary sum" to Abubakar "in the range of up to $500,000."


[img]https://www./wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Atiku-crying.jpg[/img]

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/07/world/americas/07iht-raid.1915910.html

The FBI affidavit, which was dated Aug. 2, and other documents were made public over the objections of Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat who is the target of a wide-ranging corruption investigation. He has denied wrongdoing and has said the information in the court papers would unfairly damage his reputation.

In the affidavitan FBI agent, Edward Cooper, said cellphone records suggested that Jefferson visited a home owned by Abubakar and his wife in Potomac, Maryland, an affluent suburb of Washington, around midnight last July 31 with the intention of delivering money to the Nigerian leader while he was on a visit to the United States. The next day, the FBI said, Jefferson told a confidential informant that he had delivered "African art," which the agent described as code for a cash payment, and that Abubakar "was very pleased."

deomelo:



FBI Affidavit against Atiku means he's already been investigated, his case is wraped up with testimonies and FBI affidavit.

This is why Atiku is dodging the US by any means necessary, he's dodging imediate arrest and prosecution.

sekundosekundo:



The same way Aisha Buhari avoided US till she became first lady and had to travel there with diplomatic passport.

We got a letter from America in June 2006, listing a number of people to be investigated; Atiku was one of them and that letter went straight to the EFCC.


He said Atiku had refused to travel to the United States since he left office because of alleged corruption.

He went on: “Well, I don’t know what the EFCC has found out about him, but I don’t know if he can go to America. Do you know? I am asking you, do you know?

“He travels?

Travels to where? To Dubai? Let him go to America and return to Nigeria.


http://theeagleonline.com.ng/atiku-cant-travel-to-us-again-over-corruption-obasanjo/

koboko69:


Lol... U kids sef... !

deomelo:





lol @ To Dubai? Let him go to America and return to Nigeria.

koboko69:



Lol...
U kids sef...
!

sekundosekundo:


Shut up. who's a kid?

On 30 July 2005, Jefferson was videotaped by the FBI receiving $100,000 worth of $100 bills in a leather briefcase at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Arlington, Virginia. Jefferson told an investor, Lori Mody, who was wearing a wire, that he would need to give Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar $500,000 "as a motivating factor" to make sure they obtained contracts for iGate and Mody's company in Nigeria.


https://www.itrealms.com.ng/2017/12/broadband-corruption-how-atiku-was.html

hollywater:
I didn't see anywhere they say money was paid to Atiku.All i read was intended intended.Atiku i know, F.B.I is talking poo.

SarkinYarki:
Stop spreading old lies that have already been debunked , it's has since been proven that Jefferson was acting alone and only trying to con his business partner and infact never delivered any 500 thousand dollars to Atiku as he claimed because all the money was later found hidden in a refrigerator in Jefferson house... Atiku was already worth over 500 million dollars then and Intels was also at the height of profiting so why would Atiku want a paltry 500 thousand dollars ? ATIKU has already been cleared of any wrong doing in this case and this is not even the reason why he got on a Visa ban list

deomelo:





What is the reason for the Visa ban.?

SarkinYarki:


14 million dollars wired into America ( Payment to the American university partners )

SarkinYarki:


14 million dollars wired into America ( Payment to the American university partners )

deomelo:




Atiku your uncle is free to fly to the US to dare the FBI, but he won't because he's smarter than you.

deomelo:



I dey ignore that little ignorant kid and nuisance for a reason..

koboko69:

U are a kid.
Kiss the truth

SarkinYarki:
Stop spreading old lies that have already been debunked , it's has since been proven that Jefferson was acting alone and only trying to con his business partner and infact never delivered any 500 thousand dollars to Atiku as he claimed because all the money was later found hidden in a refrigerator in Jefferson house... Atiku was already worth over 500 million dollars then and Intels was also at the height of profiting so why would Atiku want a paltry 500 thousand dollars ? ATIKU has already been cleared of any wrong doing in this case and this is not even the reason why he got on a Visa ban list

hollywater:
What is special about US? ASHIAH BUHARI never travel to the USA until her husband became president. Go and ask her what was her reason for not travelling to US for that long.