Atiku: Fasawe told Obasanjo of $6.7m deal with Jefferson 15/09/2006
By Gabriel Akinadewo, Group Political Editor There seems to be no let-up in the battle of integrity at the Presidency, with the Vice President’s camp insisting yesterday that President Obasanjo knew about the $6.7 million deal between Jefferson and Otunba Oyewole Fasawe.
The President has sent a letter written by Jefferson to the Senate, saying the Congressman’s complaints prompted the probe that unearthed the alleged mismanagement of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) money. The PTDF is under the supervision of the Vice President.
But the Atiku camp claimed yesterday, in a statement that portrayed Jefferson as a man of shady character, that the American wrote on June 9, 2004 – six months after Fasawe "had persistently put him (Jefferson) under tremendous pressure to refund his money or face legal action."
The Jefferson letter, the Vice-President’s camp said, was a blackmail by the American to escape the imminent legal action.
The Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, in a statement entitled Jefferson’s letter to Obasanjo, setting the records straight, by its spokesman Garba Shehu, said:
"In his letter to the Senate Tuesday on the alleged use of PTDF funds in TIB to advance the political interest of Vice President Atiku Abubakar,President Obasanjo claimed to have been alerted by U.S. Congressman William Jefferson.
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The letter also claimed that the deposit was accessed by Otunba Oyewole Fasawe who used it in the pursuit of his business interests. The Atiku Abubakar Campaign will like to state that the President’s account regarding the sequence of events in this matter is typically, false. The facts of the matter are these:
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Otunba Oyewole Fasawe was invited by a senior official of his bank, Trans International Bank, TIB to meet certain investors at the 2003 Sullivan Economic Summit in Abuja who were seeking a Nigerian collaborator to bring a new American communication technology to Nigeria.
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Otunba Fasawe was thereafter introduced to U.S. Congressman William Jefferson who promised to facilitate the introduction of the American telecommunication technology to Nigeria.
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On the strength of assurances by the Congressman who was Chairman of the American house sub-committee on Nigeria, Fasawe applied for a loan facility from TIB, whose official alerted him of the investment opportunity.
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Otunba Fasawe thereafter transferred $6.7 million to iGate, the company introduced by Congressman Jefferson by January 2003.
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After waiting endlessly and Jefferson was not forthcoming with the equipment as promised, Otunba Fasawe sought the help of his friend, President Obasanjo to use his contact with the American government to get Jefferson to return his money. This is in addition to the persistent pressure on Jefferson and officials of iGate.
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Jefferson’s letter dated 9thJune 2004 was written six months after Fasawe had persistently put (him) Jefferson, under tremendous pressure to refund his money or face legal action. This also puts to question the claim that the president’s inquisition was prompted by the Congressman’s complaint and that the letter was the first time he knew about the matter. The truth is that Jefferson’s letter was prompted by the petition of Otunba Fasawe to President Obasanjo and President Bush of America.
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Jefferson could not validly complain of the source of the NDTV funds after keeping the money for six months.
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The letter from Jefferson was therefore, a blackmail to escape the imminent legal action by Fasawe who had become restless over his (now apparently) bad investment.
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It is noteworthy that President Obasanjo received the letter from Jefferson in June 2004 but did not deem it fit to cause EFCC to investigate the allegations until after the defeat of the Third Term Agenda in May 2006, more than two years after.
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It is also important to note that Congressman Jefferson whose integrity President Obasanjo believes to the point of engendering a national crisis has the following profile:
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He (Jefferson) is under investigation in the U.S. for collecting bribes to discharge his official responsibilities.
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He was caught on video collecting $100,000 dollar bribe from Mrs Moody, promoter of iGate.
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Jefferson, who collected $6.5 million from Otunba Fasawe to promote the new American telecommunication technology in Nigeria took Lori Mody, promoter of iGate to Vice President Abubakar, to upstage Otunba Fasawe from the business. If Atiku was part of the NDTV plot, will Jefferson be so stupid to solicit his help to upstage his own (Atiku’s) company?
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He is under investigation in the United States for collecting $3.5million from Lori Modi under false pretence.
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Although the $3.5 million was supposed to have been used to pay Fasawe off the business, Jefferson only paid $1.7 million.
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Jefferson collected $100,000 from Lori Mody and told her that he had passed same to Vice President Abubakar but the money was later found wrapped in a foil paper and hidden in his freezer.
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It is curious that Mr. President who is privy to these facts will attach any weight to the claims of Jefferson and desecrate the National Assembly by sending the blackmail paper to it."
Shehu also asked what he called relevant questions. They are:
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Does the Nigerian government have any responsibility to protect the interest of Nigerians around the world? How well has the government discharged this in the case of the $6.5 million held back in the hands of Jefferson? Should a Nigerian business lose $4.7million simply because the president has problem with a friend he quarrels with solely because he refuses his instruction to cut ties with a friend of 37 years and who happens to be his (Obasanjo’s ) deputy, Atiku Abubakar.?
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The EEFC report claimed that Atiku Abubakar is a part-owner of NDTV. Presidency claims Atiku collected money from Jefferson. Will Atiku collect money from Jefferson to promote his own (Atiku’s) business (NDTV) interests?
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If Atiku is part owner of NDTV, will he forward the letter from Jefferson which sought to promote iGate at the expense of NDTV which had invested $6.5 million in the business?"
Besides, the statement said:
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There is absolutely no relationship between withdrawals from the Mofas account in TIB and the PTDF deposits. The EEFC has merely assembled unrelated matters to create a false, predetermined and political end. We have said the EEFC report is a cocktail of lies and malicious fabrication. The Jefferson letter is another instance of the contrived scheme. In any case, the EEFC report claims that its investigation was at the instance of the FBI which requested its assistance in the investigation of Jefferson. President Obasanjo in his letter to the National Assembly claims that the EEFC investigation is at the instance of the Jefferson letter. Which of the two should we believe?
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Jefferson’s letter is a ruse, an after thought, and a contrived rope to tie the loose ends of the fabrications in the EEFC report. That it is dignified in a presidential correspondence is the height of desperation.
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Vice President Abubakar maintains his position that the MOFAS and Marine Flout accounts that the EFCC claim indict him over the PTDF deposits have nothing to do with the PDTF deposits in 14 banks, including TIB and ETB. Rather, both accounts just as two others maintained by Chief Emeka Ofor and the late Muhammed Waziri are special purpose accounts maintained by himself and President Obasanjo for their political and campaign activities. http://www.thenationonlineng.com/newsdisplay.asp?id=390
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