The Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting in Abuja, the nation’s capital today, Wednesday, June 14, dismissed all 18-count charges of false asset declaration leveled against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
ALEDEH recalls that the Federal Government had on September 16, 2015 filed a 13-count charge against the senate president for alleged false and anticipatory declaration of assets during his time as the governor of Kwara state.
On April 18, 2016, the government increased the charges to 15, with another charge added on April 27, 2016 to make it 16. Similarly on January 11, 2017, the FG increased the charges to 17 and finally to 18 on February 23, 2017.
Saraki told the tribunal on May 4, that he would file a no-case submission, which implies that he is not opening a defence but asking the tribunal to discharge him of the charges because there is no case against him.
On May 26, 2017, Saraki contended that none of the exhibits tendered and no evidence given by the four prosecution witnesses linked him to the alleged offences to warrant him to defend the charges.
A two-man panel led by its Chairman, Danladi Umar of the CCT, had reserved its ruling on June 8, 2017, after hearing Saraki’s no-case submission and the Federal Government’s objection.
Presiding over the matter today, the chairman of the tribunal, Danladi Umar, held that the prosecution did not prove its case against the accused person, adding that the testimonies of four witnesses presented by the prosecution were discredited, and as a result were unreliable.
The CCT Chairman dismissed the case, discharging the senate president of the 18-count charges of false asset declaration leveled against him by the Federal Government.
