This case has been riddled with endless problems. The question at this points is: Will the ex-Rep. William Jefferson try to use this latest speed bump as an excuse to push for another delay?
By Bruce Alpert
WASHINGTON — Attorneys for former Rep. William Jefferson say they are getting the run around in their efforts to persuade two Nigerian witnesses to testify at his May 26 corruption trial.
The attorneys are trying to get testimony from former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Nigerian businessman Suleiman Yahyah, both of whom have made public statements denying that they discussed the payment of bribes to advance a telecommunications project the New Orleans Democrat was promoting.
Specifically, Jefferson’s attorneys have asked if the two potential witnesses would be willing “to waive their Fifth Amendment privileges and testify fully.”
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But the attorneys said in a brief filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., that Christopher Mead, an attorney for Abubakar, said he would “have to confer with his client” before responding. That was Jan. 15, and the attorneys said they still haven’t heard back.
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