Source:
independent ng onlineWashington is delighted by the deal Abuja struck with Halliburton to drop corruption charges against former Vice President Dick Cheney.
State Department officials described the agreement to have Halliburton pay a hefty fine as “a private arrangement between Nigeria and the oil services firm.”
They admitted that it was unlikely that Cheney would have been tried in a Nigerian court, and that "this is the best out of a bad situation.”
Since Washington was not willing to hand Cheney over, “Nigeria looks good forcing Halliburton to pay a fine,” they added.
It also staves off a messy diplomatic row between Nigeria and the U.S.
Sources confirmed that Justice Department officials had preliminary discussions with Cheney’s attorneys on the request from Nigeria.
“They were informed that one of the ways to avoid an embarrassing situation is to reach a settlement with Nigeria that would avoid the possibility of Cheney being arrested by INTERPOL if he travels outside the U.S.”
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