Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has applauded the final report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States of America which indicted Congressman William Jefferson and affirmed that no money exchanged hands between the Congressman and himself.

The FBI on Monday June 4, 2007 indicted Congressman Jefferson on a 16 count charge bordering on racketeering, money-laundering, and trying to influence Nigerian officials, including the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said the final FBI report had vindicated him. “I have said repeatedly that in my brief interaction with Congressman Jefferson, I never solicited nor was I offered any material inducement. I agreed to meet him on the basis that he was genuinely interested in facilitating a good foreign investment in my country”, Atiku said.

In its 95 page charge sheet, the FBI stated that Congressman Jefferson collected money from many American businessmen with the promise of helping them with business opportunities in Africa including Nigeria.

The charge sheet had indicated that “on or about July 26, 2005, in Washington D.C, Defendant Jefferson told “CW” (an unnamed businessman) that he would deliver to an unnamed Nigerian official “A”, a bribe payment of $100,000 in cash to be provided by CW.

The charge sheet also indicated that on August 1st, 2005, Jefferson told CW that he had delivered the money to the Nigerian Vice President.

According to the charge sheet, “on or before August 3rd, 2005 Jefferson “secreted in his freezer $90,000 of the $100,000 in cash provided by CW (the businessman) which was separated into $10,000 increments, wrapped in aluminium foil, and concealed inside various food containers.”

“This account vindicates the insistence of Atiku Abubakar that he never had any personal relationship with Jefferson outside the official duty of relating with him as a chairman of the House caucus on Nigeria to promote business relations between Nigeria and the United States of America.”

As Vice President, he was persuaded by the business opportunities proposed by Jefferson which would have enhanced the delivery of telephone services to Nigerians and at a cheaper rate using a new technology developed by iGate.

The charge sheet also confirms that all claims by Jefferson that he was soliciting money for Abubakar were false and a dubious enterprise to swindle the unsuspecting businessman.

 Abubakar related with Congressman on account of his official position as co-Chairman of the Congress Committee on Nigeria. He is elated that the case against Jefferson and the particulars of the case have finally vindicated him as he (Atiku) did not feature in any of the 16 indictments.

The former Vice President has therefore dismissed the claims in some newspapers yesterday (Tuesday) that the indictment of Jefferson in the United States translates to his own (Atiku’s) indictment. He stressed that he was not in anyway criminally liable for the Congressman’s conduct.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather than indicting the former Vice President, the indictment of Jefferson has indeed proved the innocence of Atiku Abubakar on the Jefferson case,” said the Atiku
Campaign Organization.