419 scam has links to US

2007-06-10 17:37

Lagos - The Nigerian politician implicated in a corruption scandal involving a US congressman has alleged he was unwittingly used by the lawmaker to perpetuate the kind of scam familiar to e-mail users worldwide.

Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar said in a statement that Lousiana Democrat William Jefferson, who is under a bribery indictment in the US, tried to legitimise his business ventures by linking them to Abubakar.

He said the scheme was familiar to citizens of Nigeria, the country of origin of many e-mail scams offering to share the non-existent fortunes of famous ex-dictators with overseas investors who are later fleeced. The e-mails are known as "419" scams because of the section of the Nigerian legal code they violate.

Abubakar, who is under investigation in Nigeria in a separate corruption case involving missing oil funds, has long denied any untoward activities stemming from the Jefferson case.

Abubakar, a long-time civil servant, placed third in April presidential elections in Nigeria, long considered one of the world's most corrupt countries.

His candidacy was nearly derailed by the separate corruption allegations, and Jefferson's indictment has made front-page headlines in this country.

The indictment earlier accused Jefferson of receiving more than US$500 000 in bribes and seeking millions more in nearly a dozen separate scheme to enrich himself by using his office to broker business deals in Africa.

The charges came almost two years after investigators raided Jefferson's home in Washington and found $90 000 in cash stuffed in his freezer. According to court records, Jefferson told associates he needed cash to pay bribes to Nigeria's vice-president.

The indictment's 16 counts included racketeering, soliciting bribes, wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Jefferson faces a possible maximum sentence of 235 years.

- SAPA