Code of Conduct Tribunal: FG Requests Date for Commencement of Trial Against Saraki

The Federal Government has written to the Code of Conduct Tribunal requesting for a date for the commencement of the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on charges of false assets declaration.

The letter was written on behalf of the Federal Government by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).

Head, Press and Public Relations of the CCT, Mr. Ibraheem Al-hassan, confirmed that the registrar of the tribunal had received the letter.

“I have confirmed from the registrar and he confirmed to me that Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), wrote the letter, informing the tribunal that the Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal that was stopping the trial from going on. He attached a copy of the judgment to the letter.

“The letter will be considered and a hearing notice will be issued later on.”

It is expected that the tribunal will give a date for the trial and issue hearing notices to parties to the case this week.

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.

In the 13 counts initiated by the Federal Government, Saraki was said to have made 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 which were allegedly investigated by the CCB, was found to have “corruptly acquired many properties while in office as 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 is also accused of sending money abroad for the purchase of property in London and that he maintained an account outside Nigeria while serving as governor.