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Among the charges listed in the indictment are racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money-laundering, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The Jefferson probe had reverberated in Nigeria when it triggered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation in to the activities of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was then supervising.
Just on Monday, Lagos lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), urged the EFCC to arraign former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Atiku Abubakar over allegations of self enrichment and corruption.
The Associated Press reported that the indictment, handed up on Monday in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, is 94 pages long and lists 16 alleged violations of federal law.
AP quoted a Justice Department official, who though was not authorised to discuss the case but has seen the document, as saying that the violations could keep Jefferson in prison for up to 235 years.
The 63-year-old lawmaker, 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.
In 2005, as the inquiry progressed, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents raided Jefferson’s home, opened a freezer and found $90,000 in cash, money the investigators said was intended for a bribe of a Nigerian politician on behalf of Jackson.
Brett Pfeffer, a former congressional aide, also admitted soliciting bribes on Jefferson's behalf and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Both Pfeffer and Jackson agreed to cooperate in the case against Jefferson in exchanges for their pleas.
According to court records, Jefferson told associates that he needed cash to pay bribes to former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Though the former Vice President denied the allegations, it however triggered a series of investigations in Nigeria and figured prominently in the April Presidential election.
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 his home.
Some but not all the documents seized in the raid have been turned over Justice Department prosecutors.
Meanwhile, Lagos lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), yesterday urged the EFCC to arraign former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and his vice, Atiku Abubakar over allegations of self enrichment and corruption.
He made the call during the wreath laying ceremony in remembrance of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, wife of the late business mogul, Chief Moshood Abiola, who was killed on June 4, 1996 at the heat of the struggle for the actualisation of June 12 Presidential election believed to have been won by Abiola.
Fawehinmi appealed to the commission, which he said had hitherto done well in the fight against corruption, to commence the process of prosecuting both Obasanjo and the former Atiku.
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