Huhuonline.com understands that one Aisha Buhari, alleged to be the wife of the incumbent President of Nigeria and Dumebi Kachikwu, younger brother of Nigeria Oil minister, Ibe Kachikwu were involved in bribery, racketeering and money laundering with disgraced US Congressman, William J. Jefferson.
William J. Jefferson was convicted in 2009, and is currently serving a 13 years jail term for using his office to try to enrich himself and relatives through a web of bribes and payoffs involving business ventures in Africa.
USDOJ government sentencing memorandum shows that one of those African ventures from which One hundred and Seventy thousand dollars($170,000.00) was wired to Mr. Jefferson belong to the said Aisha M. Buhari.
According to the memoradum, the monies were wired on 26th of June 2002.
The government-sentencing memorandum described Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu as co-conspirator of William J. Jefferson.
Also trial documents obtained by huhuonline.com shows that the disgraced congressman helped facilitate Mr.Kachikwu`s visa from London to the US for a meeting in 2003.
The memorandum pointed out that Mr. Kachikwu testified at trial about a discussion he had with Congressman Jefferson, wherein the defendant asked Kachikwu to form a company in Nigeria to receive the agreed to and expected payment of bribes from Netlink Digital Television (NDTV) that the defendant had solicited.
Excerpt from the government-sentencing memorandum read:
“During the investigation of his numerous bribe schemes, law enforcement agents learned of several wire transfers from offshore territories into U.S. financial accounts that were either controlled by the defendant or whose proceeds were made available for his benefit. See Donald C. Semesky, Jr., Tr. at 104 – 116; see also Government Exhibits 36-87 (6/26/02 $170,000 wire transfer from account in Nigeria in the name of Aisha Buhari to an account in the name of The ANJ Group, LLC, identifying “William Jefferson” as Beneficiary), Government Exhibits 36-90 and 36-91 (11/28/03 $50,000 wire transfer from account in British Virgin Islands in the name of Dawson Creek Traders to an account in the name of Jefferson Interests, Inc.). Law enforcement agents were unable to substantially confirm the source of these wire transactions and have not ruled out the possibility that the defendant controls nominee companies or financial accounts in foreign jurisdictions.
The possibility that the defendant had set up a nominee company and account in Nigeria was also supported by the trial testimony of Dumebi Kachikwu, an executive with NDTV and co-conspirator of the defendant.
See Kachikwu Tr. at 41-43. Kachikwu testified at trial about a discussion he had with Congressman Jefferson, wherein the defendant asked Kachikwu to form a company in Nigeria to receive the agreed to and expected payment of bribes from NDTV that the defendant had solicited. Id.
Given the age of the defendant, the severity of the sentence calculated by the Probation Office, the defendant’s frequent travel overseas and unexplained wire transfers from overseas locations to financial accounts used by the defendant, the defendant cannot rebut the Presumption at sentencing that he is a risk of flight.”
When asked about the identity of Aisha Buhari: Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde,said, the Aisha Buhari mentioned in the bribery scandal involving a United States of America Congressman, Williams Jefferson, is not President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife.
He said: “I can tell you authoritatively that the Aisha Buhari named in that case is not President Buhari’s wife.
“It is another Aisha Buhari entirely.
“I was the Director of Operations at the EFCC at the time so I know about the case very well.
“I can tell you that it is not her (President Buhari’s wife).
“That much we established.”
However, Justice Department sources, who did not want their name in print, are amazed that same EFCC leadership which failed to provide them with the requisite information on Aisha Buhari, is swift to go on the pages of newspaper to confirm /deny her identity.
It would be recalled that the U.S Justice Department had at the time requested the EFCC through a letter with Ref: MEW: DPW:KDL:AV 1 File 182.23818 dated June 22, 2006 to investigate Mrs. Aisha M. Buhari and several others linked with money laundering, racketeering and payoff of Congressman Jefferson.
Court documents shows that Justice Department never received EFCC reports.
Aisha M Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, in her response, Tuesday night, failed to deny or confirm whether she was the person mentioned in connection with Congressman Jefferson, rather, she resulted to name calling on her twitter handle.
In her words: “Enough is Enough Fayose. A mad dog that isn’t chained. I refuse to keep quiet.”
“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH FAYOSE IS AN UNCHAINED MAD DOG If Buhari is 73 years old,I Aisha am 45 years old,I have more than enough energy to face you.”
Huhuonline.com checks ,Wednesday morning, shows that Nigeria’s first lady has deleted the tweets.