2006年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Vice President Cleared of Corruption A

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
29 November 2006

A court in Nigeria has struck down a report by a government panel that said Vice¹ President Atiku Abubakar should be indicted² on graft³ charges that claim he had diverted public funds . For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports from Abuja.

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Atiku Abubakar
The ruling comes at an opportune⁴ time for the vice president whose quest to succeed President Olusegu Obasanjo appeared to have been scuttled⁵ by the report.
 
Nigeria's many political parties are in the process of selecting candidates for the April vote and Mr. Abubakar's supporters are clearly delighted that their candidate has now been cleared of any wrongdoing.
 
Adeolu Akande, spokesman for the vice president's campaign team, responds to the clearing of all legal impediments to Mr. Abubakar's candidacy.

"It means that the purported⁶ indictment⁷ is off and there is no legal impediment for him to pursue his political ambition," he noted⁸.  "As far as we are concerned, the so-called indictment is dead. And he is free to contest the elections now. We have always known that the indictment will be vacated by the courts, because as we said, it is a concoction⁹ of lies and it cannot stand the test of the judiciary."
 
Vice President Atiku Abubakar formally declared last weekend that he would run for president in elections next year.
 
 
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, right, attends a meeting with Vice President Atiku Abubakar, left (file photo)
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party suspended Mr. bubakar on the basis of the indictment. With the court dismissing the indictment, it is not certain if the party, which is controlled by President Obasanjo, will restore the vice president's membership and allow him contest the party's presidential ticket.
 
Party officials declined to comment but Akande is convinced the party has no choice than to accept the vice president back into its fold.
 
"The vice president is in court challenging his suspension from the PDP and that is the only condition that is stopping him from picking the PDP ticket," he added.  "So, now that the so-called moral burden is off, the initiative is there. Since the basis of the suspension is off, we expect that the party will see reason to abandon the path of illegality they have taken as regards the vice president."
 
President Olusegun Obasanjo submitted the panel report to the Senate in September, highlighting a clause in the constitution, which says that a person cannot qualify for election as president if indicted for fraud by an "administrative¹⁰ panel of inquiry¹¹".

These accusations¹² were part of a long-running battle for supremacy¹³ in the ruling party ahead of next year's poll, which is due to mark the first handover from one democratic president to another in Africa's most populous¹⁴ nation.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。

3 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

4 opportune   

adj.合适的，适当的

参考例句：

• Her arrival was very opportune.她来得非常及时。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

5 scuttled   

v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走

参考例句：

• She scuttled off when she heard the sound of his voice. 听到他的说话声，她赶紧跑开了。
• The thief scuttled off when he saw the policeman. 小偷看见警察来了便急忙跑掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 concoction   

n.调配(物)；谎言

参考例句：

• She enjoyed the concoction of foreign dishes.她喜欢调制外国菜。
• His story was a sheer concoction.他的故事实在是一纯属捏造之事。

10 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

11 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

12 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

13 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

14 populous   

adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的

参考例句：

• London is the most populous area of Britain.伦敦是英国人口最稠密的地区。
• China is the most populous developing country in the world.中国是世界上人口最多的发展中国家。