How Kachikwu Helped Convicted U.S Congressman Escape Justice

Dumebi Kachikwu

Fresh facts have emerged how Dumebi Kachikwu, younger brother of the minister of State Petroleum resources, Ibe Kachikwu, let convicted former U.S Congressman Rep. William Jefferson escaped temporarily from justice.
In court transcripts obtained by Per Second News in the U.S, Kachikwu told a U.S Court that he had once worked closely with Jefferson, testifying that he had gotten information that authorities in Nigeria were prepared to arrest the congressman, who was in the country trying to resurrect a telecommunications project.

Kachikwu said he learned the arrest was based on complaints from an official of the Nigeria Digital Television that Jefferson had sought bribes from the company.

Part of the $90,000 found in then-Congressman William Jefferson’s freezer during a law enforcement search of his residence; this particular bundle was wrapped in aluminum foil and concealed inside the pie crust box at right.

Kachikwu in a testimony said he hurriedly drove the congressman and iGate CEO Vernon Jackson to the airport about 5:30 a.m. so they could leave the country earlier than planned and keep Jefferson from being imprisoned, as part of his efforts to cover up corruption.

Dumebi Kachikwu before Judge T.S. Ellis said that he was so broke and "financially ruined" at that time that he cooperated with the FBI.

Kachikwu testified that Jefferson had sought payoffs from NDTV in millions of dollars. The plan was for NDTV to use technology by iGate Inc., a Kentucky firm Jefferson was promoting, to develop cable and Internet service over existing phone lines in Nigeria.

Asked repeatedly by assistant U.S. Attorney Rebeca Bellows whether Jefferson ever told Nigerian officials that he had a financial stake in iGate or that he was receiving bribes from officials at NDTV, Kachikwu responded by either answering emphatically: "Absolutely not, " or "No."

At one point, asked by Bellows to describe a letter Jefferson sent to the president of Nigeria, Kachikwu didn't dwell on the contents, but told the jury it was written on "official congressional letterhead."

In cross examination, Jefferson attorney Amy Jackson hit hard at what she argued were a series of inconsistencies and misstatements in Kachikwu's direct testimony.

Under questioning by Jackson, Kachikwu admitted he had not provided any of the $6.5 million, but that the money came instead from a Nigerian petroleum account administered by the then Nigerian vice president, Atiku Abubakar.

After the NDTV deal had fizzled, he sent an e-mail to Vernon Jackson, the CEO of iGate, asking about working together on other technology deals, and continued to pursue other deals with the Kentucky company and Jefferson.

Kachikwu had a hard time remembering details of meetings when asked about them by Amy Jackson.

Kachikwu said his two partners ultimately traveled to the United States and delivered $100,000 to Jefferson.

According to the United States Court of Appeals 09-5130, sometime in 2003, Jefferson began to promote iGate’s technology abroad, travelling to West Africa to meet with high-ranking foreign officials. In Nigeria, Jefferson promoted iGate to Dumebi Kachikwu and Ahmed Vanderpuije, the founders of NDTV. Jefferson then facilitated an agreement between iGate and NDTV under which NDTV would use iGate’s technology to establish satellite service in Nigeria.

Without iGate’s knowledge, Jefferson solicited from NDTV a portion of its profits from the iGate-NDTV venture, plus an ownership interest in NDTV. Vanderpuije and Kachikwu agreed to pay Jefferson a commission of five dollars on each "set top box" (a required component for a cable service subscription) because, as Vanderpuije explained, he was "excited about the fact that he could have a U.S. Congressman in his pocket."  NDTV also agreed to pay iGate approxi- mately $44,000,000, with a $6,500,000 down payment, for the right to use iGate’s technology in Nigeria. After that agree- ment was consummated, Jefferson successfully sought to have iGate increase its payments to ANJ from five to thirty-five percent of iGate’s profits.

In promoting iGate, Jefferson also arranged for meetings between iGate, NDTV, and representatives of the Ex-Im Bank. Jefferson personally participated in those meetings and encouraged the Ex-Im Bank to fund the iGate-NDTV venture. Additionally, Jefferson arranged a meeting in 2003 with Jack- son, Vanderpuije, Otumba Fashawe (another NDTV represen- tative), plus Nigerian Vice President Abubakar, at which Jefferson urged Nigeria’s support for the iGate-NDTV ven- ture.

As the venture fell into place in late 2003 and early 2004, ANJ collected more than $230,000 in fees from iGate to compensate Jefferson for his efforts in promoting iGate. When iGate was occasionally past due on payments to ANJ, Jefferson reminded Jackson of such delinquencies and sent ANJ invoices to iGate.19 

Jefferson, 67, was found guilty during the 2009 trial on 11 of 16 federal corruption counts, and is serving his sentence at the Oakdale Prison Camp. He's due to be released in August, 2023. One of the 11 counts was thrown out in appeal, but it didn't result in any reduction in Jefferson's sentence.

An APC Forum led by Enebie Okoi-Anietan, recently accused Dumebi Kachikwu of brazen attempt to dictate the affairs of the NNPC without considering local interests especially those of party stalwarts and youths of the agitative region.

Accusing Dumebi, of being a PDP card-carrying member ‎who through his alleged conduct and direction of affairs of the NNPC seems poised at empowering members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of 2019 general elections, the group alleged.

"It is unfortunate that the minister of state for petroleum resources would, not minding the antecedents of his younger brother who in the past has had issues with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, allow his younger brother to run an almost parallel management at the NNPC and by large the oil sector in the country, Okoi-Anietan concluded.