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Corruption Trial: Saraki Loses At Appeal Court

By Lemmy Ughegbe (Abuja) and Samson Ezea (Lagos)
31 October 2015   |   3:09 am
With the judgment, it seems Saraki’s trial will commence at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as planned. This is even as Saraki’s lawyers have said that they will proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the Appeal Court’s ruling.

Saraki-pix-10-10-15-Copy• Heads For The Supreme Court

THE Court of Appeal in Abuja yesterday threw out an appeal brought before it by the embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki. Senator Saraki had approached the appellate court asking it to stop his corruption trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal claiming that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to proceed to try him for falsely declaring his assets as required by law.

Delivering their judgment yesterday, the three justices of the Court of Appeal in a split decision ruled that the Code of Conduct Tribunal has jurisdiction to try Saraki for falsely declaring his assets.  Justice Moore Adumein and Justice A Mustapha ruled to quash the appeal while Justice E Ekanem disagreed with the lead judgment.

With the judgment, it seems Saraki’s trial will commence at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as planned. This is even as Saraki’s lawyers have said that they will proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the Appeal Court’s ruling.

It would be recalled that since his controversial emergence as president of the 8th Senate, Saraki has been in the eye of the storm.

The Code of Conduct Bureau had slammed a 13-count charge of corruption on Mr. Saraki. In charge number ABT/01/15, dated September 11 and filed before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Saraki is accused of offences ranging from anticipatory declaration of assets, to making false declaration of assets in forms he filed before the Code of Conduct Bureau while he was governor of Kwara State.
According to the charges, the Senate President was also accused of failing to declare some assets he acquired while in office as governor. Among other offences, including allegedly acquiring assets beyond his legitimate earnings, Saraki is also accused of operating foreign accounts while being a public officer: governor and senator.

The offences, the charge said, violated sections of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended. Saraki is also said to have breached Section 2 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act which is punishable under paragraph 9 of the said Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

The charges were prepared by M.S. Hassan, a deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation. Saraki has since dismissed the charges as “false and frivolous”.

The Court of Appeal had before now struck out an application filed by Saraki to stop his trial. Saraki had approached the court to compel the tribunal to stay action on an arrest order issued against him.

9 Comments

  • Author’s gravatar

    Dear
    president,I think its a right time to air my view about the current
    trend in our nation Nigeria. with due respect, i want to say thank you
    in your effort to stampout corruption in Nigeria. at the same time i
    will like to point out an area that seems to be neglected. it is a high
    time to look into the word corruption and its opposite, honesty. My
    problem is “CORRUPTION VERSUS HONESTY” who wins?.this had bothered my
    mind for a very long time. i was waiting for a time like this, when
    Nigerians eye are on who is corrupt? before i air my view. a time when
    our president is hunting for corrupt citizens . the question to my
    Nigerian brothers is, corruption, they say is evil and nobody want to
    identify or associate him or herself with corruption.we also believe
    that honesty is good and its pays.Nigerians and our president is looking
    for honest Nigerians to entrust public offices.the government had
    formed EFCC to take care of corrupt practices.may i know, is there’s any
    office or commission or body that is form by the government to take
    care of the honest people in the society?. corruption will not end in
    Nigeria because honest people are not rewarded and tested. all i see is
    ” MAN KNOW MAN”. all a honest man gets is public applause.Oh! he’s a
    good and honest man some even make jeers of him and he will be an
    object of ridicule. no one want to associate with him because he is a
    threat to the people of questionable character. I read that a taxi cap
    in Australia,returned a missing $110,000 and was adequately rewarded by
    the city council in Autralia. I know also of a young,poor mail runner in
    shell company in port harcourt with a wages of 4,500 naira a month,who
    returned to the owner the missing hand bag that contained $7,000,
    29,000,naira,50euro,credit card,company’s staff id card and Netherland
    bank cheque book. the news was everywhere,news pappers publised
    it,pictures were taken. the then group managing director of shell,issued
    the young man, a commendation letter advising him to keep it up the
    standard.afterward,he was envied by fellow staff,and pushed out of job
    without good reason.because he was a threat.what will become of this
    young,poor man who left job because of honesty,roaming the street. A man
    that returned the missing money had lived an exemplary life of rare act
    of honesty and evident of integrity and of good conscience,exhibited
    which if opportune to apply will yield good result that we are
    yearning.I’m sure we have read of a cab driver who returned missing 18
    million naira in Abuja. I’m quite sure,this driver can handle a public
    office of his educational capacity. an air port cleaner in Lagos
    returned 12million naira etc etc. if these kind of people are not
    recognize and encouraged in our society, what will become of their
    children.when they grow up to hear that their honest father was in the
    news for honesty and the honesty did not pay,will they like to follow
    their father’s foot steps? i want to suggest that the Nigerian
    government under our able president Buhari should form a body to take
    care of people with phenomenal attitude of honesty .just as EFCC handles
    the erring citizens.Thank you. —–clarence Julius.
    clarencejulius@yahoo.com 08068934185.

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  • Author’s gravatar

    Saraki,devil is implacable. The more you give him, the more he demands. You think by manipulating the confirmation of Amechi as a Minister will placate the hawks in APC that do not only want you out but dead? You should have toed the part of honour by not succumbing to the desire of the devilish APC Senators. They never loved you. Deferring judgement was a game plan to keep you in parnick and ensure Amechi is confirmed. Now it is done, see your self? You can not deny the fact that Amechi is corrupt and a case in the court is bared from debate,but you chose to further violate the law because you believed you will get a draw from them once Amechi is confirmed. You should have taken a bold step by telling the House that as long as the case is in the court, Amechi should wait the out come of it. Keep him in awaiting list. You are going to SC, a place that falls from Heaven? A place not under the command of Buhari? A place where money is an anathema? You decided to make nonsense of PDP Senators by tactically quenching the submissions from Akpabio and Sekibo. PDP may still suport you but that will never stop your journey out of Senate and probably to jail. I was your fan before due to the egocentrical attitude of Theifnubu to entrench his favourite as SP,but when you began to dance the dance of surugede, shorting out every voice advising you that surugede is the dance of the spirits,I went back to my shell. Now, they have used you to confirm thieves as Ministers believing that if a thief is confirmed by your intervention, then that will give you a leverage from Theifnubu, Oyegun and Boko Hari. Sorry, you do not understand the devil.

  • Author’s gravatar

    The no 3 personality in the nation has to respect the constitution and rule of law by subjecting his asets declarations to legal scrutny where there is doubt .Or else the world will continue to watch in awe at this democratic and judicial zoo

  • Author’s gravatar

    Nigeria must really be a heavenly country, if Saraki is the only corrupt Nigerian.
    “Shine your eyes Nija shine your eyes”

  • Author’s gravatar

    “In a blazing inferno, the snail spits out mucus, thinking it’s killing the fire
    not knowing it’s killing itself”.