All is set for the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on 13 counts of alleged false assets declaration to begin today (Friday).

Saturday PUNCH had reported that the prosecution, led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), had proposed 13 prosecution witnesses to testify in the case.

The Supreme Court, through its judgment delivered on February 5, 2016, had paved the way for the trial to begin after dismissing the Senate President’s objection to the validity of the charges and the jurisdiction of the CCT to hear the case.

The Danladi Umar-led tribunal subsequently fixed March 10 for the commencement of the trial, but it later shifted the date to March 11, following a request by Saraki’s new lead counsel, Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN).

According to a statement issued on March 1 by the Head, Press and Public Relations of the CCT, Mr. Ibraheem Al-hassan, Agabi pleaded with the tribunal for a shift in the trial date to enable him to attend to other urgent matters.

The CCT spokesperson said Agabi conveyed his request to the CCT in a letter dated February 26, 2016.

Saraki was arraigned on 13 counts of false assets declaration on September 22, 2015.

In the charges instituted by the Federal Government, Saraki was accused of making false assets declaration in his forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau as a two-term Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

The Senate President, who was said to have submitted four assets declaration forms investigated by the CCB, was allegedly found to have “corruptly acquired many properties while in office as the Governor of Kwara State but failed to declare some of them in the said forms earlier filled and submitted.”

He also allegedly made an anticipatory declaration of assets upon his assumption of office as governor, which he later acquired.

He was also accused of sending money abroad for the purchase of property in London and that he maintained an account outside Nigeria while serving as a governor.

Saraki initially refused to appear before the tribunal, prompting the CCT to issue a bench warrant against him.

He voluntarily submitted himself to the tribunal before the arrest warrant could be executed.

The tribunal rejected his request for the quashing of the 13 counts shortly after he was arraigned on September 22, 2015.

He appealed to the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, against the decision of the CCT to continue the trial.

But by a two-to-one split decision of its three-man bench, led by Justice Moore Admein, the Court of Appeal dismissed the Senate President’s appeal.

Saraki, in his further appeal to the Supreme Court, asked the apex court to quash the charges filed against him, citing among his seven grounds of appeal, that the CCT lacked jurisdiction to try him as it was constituted by two instead of three members.

But a seven-man panel of the apex court presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, unanimously ruled in its judgment on February 5 that Saraki’s appeal against the jurisdiction of the CCT and the competence of the charges lacked merit.

Justice Walter Onnoghen, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed all of Saraki’s seven grounds of appeal, affirming that the charges instituted against him were valid and that the tribunal was validly constituted with requisite jurisdiction to try him.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, and other members of the full panel of the apex court, comprising Justices Tanko Muhammad, Sylvester Ngwuta, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chima Nweze and Amiru Sanusi, also consented to the judgment.

Meanwhile, Justice Abdukadir Abdu-Kafarati of a Federal High Court in Abuja, had on March 1, fixed March 22 for his judgment in a fundamental human rights enforcement suit, through which the Senate President is asking for an order to stop his trial before the CCT.

But at the hearing of the case on March 1, Jacobs, who represented the Federal Government’s agents sued as respondents to the suit, urged the court not to grant Saraki’s prayer, as that, according to him, will amount to overruling the judgment of the Supreme Court.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, represented by Mr. Suleiman Abdukareem, also adopted Jacobs’ contention in opposing the Senate President’s suit.

But Saraki’s lawyer, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, urged the court to stop the CCT trial on the grounds that the Senate President’s right to fair hearing was breached during the investigation of the allegations leading to the charges preferred against him.

Oluyede argued that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission usurped the powers of the Code of Conduct Bureau to investigate the details of assets declared by the Senate President and filed charges relating to the infraction discovered.


http://www.punchng.com/sarakis-false-asset-declaration-trial-begins-today/

Huh?

I can bet my last food that this guy will buy more false property after this case.
GREEDY EXECUTIVES
GREEDY JUDICIRIES.

My wish for him is that the law should take absolute preeminence

May the crippled hands of our corrupt and incompetent justice catch him and the undeclared assets, may he pay for all his kwarrapt activities. Ameen

Let the winch hunt continue

Let's see how the trial will go.

Good news

I am not his fan........ He's not my guy

But the truth is........
Saraki is going no where

Yiu wait and see

Hummmmm.... Waiting patiently for the outcome

If he is guilty, let him go to jail.

Let's go there

Case wey fem don finish already, d guy is nt go in anywhere, I can bet it wit u pple

We all know the end of the story. Tit for tat

Watching in 5D

Another naija ninja thriller....

AM NOT SURE GOD IS STILL WITHIN OUR MIST..BECAUSE IF HE I..WE WONT BE SUFFERING LIKE THIS NIGERIA

Both Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu will be sentenced to life imprisonment

Let the show begin...!

realestworld:
I can bet my last food that this guy will buy more false property after this case.
GREEDY EXECUTIVES
GREEDY JUDICIRIES.

..i pray that you're wrong. I hope this would be the "home run" into oblivion for him.

How many senator follow ham go the place?

Let the trail begin!




ThefakeStan

immagine the crowd at his house in ilorin yesterday.hmmmmm the alfas and some people are on their mat now praying.God will fight for we nigerians.all this good motion move by sarakii is becos of CCT.let him be free and see his true colour,even Buhari will not dare him.

henrydadon:
AM NOT SURE GOD IS STILL WITHIN OUR MIST..BECAUSE IF HE I..WE WONT BE SUFFERING LIKE IN NIGERIA

God has never been responsible for a people's poverty or prosperity. It's our responsibility to hold our leaders accountable to us. Stop disturbing God.

When you prosecute mighty people, things will slow down. The government now needs to have a counter strategy for economic stability

Nigerian politicians not corrupt but they can pay millions to lawyers like 100 SAN for defense.

D for distraction !

The game now is to find something that can be used to distract Nigerians from the crippling hardship

Let him be jailed for us to start taking this corruption fight serious.

When will CCT try Buhari for the same offence

PhockPhockMan:
But Buhari, in the document titled, ‘I pledge to Nigeria’ had also said that all his political appointees would only earn salaries and allowances as prescribed by the Revenue and Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission.

He said, “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liabilities, encourage all my appointees publicly declare their assets and liabilities as a pre-condition for appointment. All political appointees will only earn the salaries and allowances determined by the RMFAC. I pledge, as Commander-in-Chief, to lead from the front and not behind in the comfort and security of Aso Rock, to boost the morale of fighting forces and the generality of all Nigerians.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-vp-fail-to-declare-assets-publicly/

www.nairaland.com/attachments/2837264_tmp9455fbimg14417792614671224457852_jpeg6dab6ee28b2554beeaa4f34b3a1f7675



www.nairaland.com/attachments/2827707_img20150905142543_jpegffcefa9483529d6999254d5bf1b3a54e

na all the senator go follow am go.

This case won't restore Electricity in our country.. E no concern me.



In other news today is my birthday. Wish me well people

SpotlezDonald25:
This case won't restore Electricity in our country.. E no concern me.



In other news today is my birthday. Wish me well people

What value has your being born added to Nigeria?