The FBI corruption probe of US Rep. William Jefferson in which the names of former Nigerian Vice President Abubakar Atiku, current Ghanaian Veep Alhaji Aliu Mahama and son of President Kufuor, Mr. Edward Kufuor, were initially cited appears to be going nowhere following fresh setbacks suffered by the FBI, according to the Gye Nyame Concord. The paper says the US Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the FBI violated the US Constitution when agents raided William Jefferson's office last year and viewed legislative documents in the corruption probe, leaving the FBI pondering on its next line of action. The US Appeals Court, according to the paper also ordered the Justice Department to return any legislative documents it seized from the Louisiana Democrat's office on Capitol Hill, following a challenge mounted by Jefferson, who has been a regular visitor to Ghana in recent times. The court, however, did not order the return of all the documents seized in the raid and did not say whether prosecutors could use any of the records against Jefferson in their bribery case. The FBI probe, which began in 2005, initially rocked Nigerian and Ghanaian political circles following the mentioning of the names of the former Nigerian Veep as well as the names of Aliu and Edward Kufuor. But Atiku, whose home in Potomac, Maryland, in the US was searched as part of a federal investigation on August 3, 2005 - same day the New Orleans homes of eight-term Democrat Rep. William Jefferson was searched - and Veep Aliu Mahama have denied suggestions that they might have been compromised by the American legislator, with Atiku insisting that the search of his home was meant to undermine his candidature for the Nigerian presidency. On his part, Aliu Mahama dismissed the allegations and explained that he had met the American legislator and a delegation of five top Americans together with former Communications Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah as part of his normal functions and following arrangements by Ghana's mission in the US for the Americans to pursue the establishment of a proposed project to provide high speed Internet services over the existing copper telephone wire infrastructure of Ghana Telecom. Jefferson is said to have written to then Ghana's Ambassador, Fritz Kwabena Poku, on June 28, 2005, informing the latter about a project, which was to involve an investment of approximately US$25 million over a five-year period, and the intention of his delegation to visit Ghana for talks with high-ranking government officials. The delegation, which included Lori Mody, Brett Pfeffer, Tori Bullock, Byeong Keon Son and Angelle Kwemo, was to seek audience with President Kufuor, the then Minister of Communications, Managing Director of Ghana Telecom and other officials involved in the decision to permit the investment in high Internet service in Ghana. The team, however, met with the Veep, Mr. Kan Dapaah and the GT team as the President himself was out of Ghana. The paper said it gathered that the delegation has since not returned to follow-up on its queries. "It is instructive to note that no tenders have been received on the project and so no monies have changed hands. The Vice President can therefore, not be linked to any corruption allegation…," a source close to the Office of the Vice President told the media when the issue broke up. Since the denial, the names of both Atiku and Aliu have dropped off the investigative radar of the FBI, with the name of the son of the President, Edward Kufuor, who facilitated the trip rather popping up. Recent reports from the New Orleans-based Times Picayune newspaper, which broke the story together with the DC-based Washington Post, had indicated that unsealed documents from the FBI investigation indicated that Edward introduced Jefferson to the Ghanaian officials based on a plan to steer profits to himself in order to push the telecommunications deal. "Jefferson has told (the confidential witness) that is it likely the son of the president of Ghana will receive a share of the profits of a joint venture to be set up in that country in exchange for his assistance in obtaining the necessary approvals for the commencement of the business venture there," the FBI wrote in its search warrant application to search Jefferson's New Orleans home and the office of accountant Jack Swetland. The documents show that Edward Kufuor was one of those who traveled from Washington with Jefferson to Ghana, where the deal was pitched to numerous high-level government officials, including the Vice President and the Minister of communications, the Times Picayune wrote in its report on the issue about a month ago, claiming it could not reach Edward for his comment. Edward Kufuor has since then, however, denied any wrong doing in the case. Source: Gye Nyame Concord