SaharaReporters has learned that a Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court, Hajio Sarki-Bello, played a key role in facilitating a decision by a panel of justices of the apex court to temporarily halt the corruption trial of Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki. 

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SaharaReporters has learned that a Deputy Registrar of the Supreme Court, Hajio Sarki-Bello, played a key role in facilitating a decision by a panel of justices of the apex court to temporarily halt the corruption trial of Nigeria’s Senate President Bukola Saraki.

Two sources in the judiciary, including one at the Supreme Court, told our correspondent that Mrs. Sarki-Bello had capitalized on the
absence of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), who is currently traveling in Brazil, to arrange with a few ethically questionable justices to quickly hear Mr. Saraki’s case and grant him a temporary reprieve from the ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). Our sources disclosed that the deputy registrar at
the Supreme Court met several times with Toyin Sanusi, a former aide to Governor Ahmed Abdul Fatah of Kwara State who now
works for Mr. Saraki in Abuja, to cut the deal for the embattled senator.
One source described Mrs. Sarki-Bello as extremely close to former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Alfa Belgore, who had been
anchoring the attempts to bribe justices to halt Mr. Saraki’s trial at the CCT.
One judicial source said Mrs. Sarki-Bello, who hails from Niger State, was promoted from level 9 to level 16 between 2006 and 2007 when Mr. Belgore was the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Mr. Sanusi, a close aide and confidant of Senator Saraki’s, drove in and out of a house on Mandela Street in the Asokoro area of Abuja where he and Mrs. Sarki-Bello reportedly met with some of the justices who sat on Mr. Saraki’s case.
The judge who was eventually tabbed to lead the case, Justice John Fabiyi, is scheduled to mandatorily retire from the Supreme
Court on November 25, 2016, his 70th birthday. Justice Fabiyi is also from Mr. Saraki’s home state of Kwara.
The Supreme Court panel that temporarily halted Mr. Saraki’s case also included Justices Suleiman Galadima, K.M. O Kekere-Ekun,
John Inyang Okoro and Amiru Sanusi as members.
On sensing that the Supreme Court panel was bent on truncating the senator’s trial, the prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, had
urged the justices to let the Code of Conduct Tribunal suspend the trial to enable him to file his defense and make a solid case for continuing Mr. Saraki’s trial for false declaration of assets. But the lead judge, Justice Fabiyi, refused.

During the hearing Justice Fabiyi at a point stated that as judges they were not bound by a new criminal justice administration set of
rules that prevents courts from interfering with criminal proceedings.

A source in the judiciary disclosed that Justice Fabiyi was notorious for rendering shaky or even baffling verdicts designed to please or serve powerful political interests. After the 2007 presidential elections, he was the justice who read the majority judgment asserting that the massively rigged elections conformed to the electoral act. Consequently, he declared the now late President Umaru Yar’Adua the valid winner of the election. Mr.
Yar’Adua himself later admitted, before his death, that the elections were rigged.

SaharaReporters also learnt that Justice Fabiyi was the judge who struck a deal with Olabode George, a henchman of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), which resulted in the Supreme Court reversing the politician’s conviction for fraud.

A source at the Supreme Court told SaharaReporters that there was a good chance that the Chief Justice of Nigeria would
reconstitute the panel that will continue to hear Mr. Saraki’s case.

http://saharareporters.com/2015/11/13/supreme-court-deputy-registrar-helped-cut-deal-halt-saraki’s-trial

Much ado about saraki While others roam freely. Now i see why wailers insist its all witchhunt.

Its still sai baba all the way

Hmmmmmmmmmm

gradually, the truth is coming out

Shame on Sahara reporters and their ethically challanged journalism!

APC bunch of hypocrites.

What they are just doing is Propaganda upon propaganda. I knew that man will still be set free even though he is guilty.

Abi who no know Saraki from Kwara

I smile apc !

A yoruba proverb says BI IRO BA LO LOGUN ODUN, OJO KAN NI OOTO O BA. (NO matter how lies travel, surely one day the truth will be revealed.

the next frontline in war against corruption should be the judiciary. They are capable of undermining our progress from acts of impunity.

Well done Sahara reporters but you are yet to tell us who helped secure the deals that has so far seen Saraki lose all his court cases before this one? Seriously how on earth did Journalism sink this low?

Why didn't the fools at sahara reporters also tell us such stories about the Yobe,Rivers and Taraba tribunals with their questionable judgements!!!

Shameless propaganda

Judicial fraud

Sahara reporters didn't address Saraki as the senate president throughout this report, only once in the beginning. What is Mr Saraki??
Blatant witch-hunt from them.....

Sahara Reporters an extension of Tinubu's Brazilian hair since 1914. Well done to your speculative sources.

This is what is wrong with journalism today. The other day it was Kayode from the same Sahara peddling falsehood about Fulanis being slaughtered in the south east.

Take sense.

chukwudi44:
Well done Sahara reporters but you are yet to tell us who helped secure the deals that has so far seen Saraki lose all his court cases before this one? Seriously how on earth did Journalism sink this low?

Why didn't the fools at sahara reporters also tell us such stories about the Yobe,Rivers and Taraba tribunals with their questionable judgements!!!

It takes only a Igbo to think this way.

Lurcky:
APC bunch of hypocrites.

What they are just doing is Propaganda upon propaganda. I knew that man will still be set free even though he is guilty.

Abi who no know Saraki from Kwara

he can only go free, except PMB is not serious about d case, if not, all d fraudulent justice can be remove if buhari is ready for them

chukwudi44:
Well done Sahara reporters but you are yet to tell us who helped secure the deals that has so far seen Saraki lose all his court cases before this one? Seriously how on earth did Journalism sink this low?

Why didn't the fools at sahara reporters also tell us such stories about the Yobe,Rivers and Taraba tribunals with their questionable judgements!!!

why not u carry out ur own investigation into yobe and taraba tribunal case, or ur scannews and breakingnews cannot carry out investigative journalism