A British solicitor accused of paying $130 million in bribes to Nigerian officials on behalf of a group of multinational engineers will appear in a Texas court today.
Jeffrey Tesler, 62, was escorted to Houston by US Marshals yesterday after abandoning his legal fight against extradition, his lawyer said.
The Tottenham-based solicitor is accused of violating the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Federal prosecutors believe he was involved in a plot to bribe Nigerian government officials to secure a $6 billion deal to build natural gas facilities in the Niger Delta. The consortium behind the bribes included KBR, the former Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root.
Mr Tesler was arrested by British police in 2009. He challenged a decision to extradite him to the US but this was rejected by the Court of Appeal in January. He opted not to make a final plea to the Supreme Court, clearing the way for his removal yesterday.