The counsel to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Mike Ozekhome has replied the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha Buhari, through her counsel, Mary Ekpere & Co, justifying the governor’s claim that Mrs. Buhari was mentioned in the Halliburton scandal.
In a letter dated July 8, 2016, Mr. Ozekhome affirmed that the statement made regarding the involvement of Mrs. Buhari in the Halliburton scandal was “correct and justified in law, having regards to a court judgment convicting one Mr William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case”.
The counsel to the president’s wife, Mary Ekpere & Co had written a letter dated June 22, 2016, to Mr. Fayose, demanding a retraction of the governor’s statement that the president’s wife was involved in the Halliburton scandal, threatening legal action if the retraction was not made within five days.
However, Mr. Ozekhome said the statement of Governor Fayose was correct and justified, having been factually premised on an existing court judgment.
The letter read; “Our client has referred to us your letter dated 22nd June, 2016, on alleged defamation of the character of your client, Her Excellency, Mrs Aisha Buhari, the wife of Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR,
with firm instructions to reply to and reject same in its entirety.
“Our client states and reaffirms categorically that the statement he made as regards the involvement of Mrs Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Buhari, in the Halliburton scandal, is correct and justified in law; having regards to a court judgement convicting one Mr William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case.
“Therein, the name of the President’s wife featured conspicuously. At page 22 of the said judgment delivered by the United State District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, USA, in
criminal No 1: 07CR209, the said Mr William Jefferson was sentenced at 9.00 am on November 13, 2009, by Mark D, Lytle. Your client, Mrs Aisha Buhari was specifically mentioned in the judgment. The judge referred to Exhibits 36-87 in the following words, for clarification;
“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)… 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.
