The Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja will today, Wednesday,
deliver its ruling on the no-case submission filed by the Senate President,
Bukola Saraki, to challenge his ongoing trial on the amended 18 charges of
false declaration and other related offences.
The Danladi Umar-led two-man panel of the CCT had reserved
its ruling after hearing Saraki’s no-case submission and the Federal
Government’s objection to it on June 8.
Umar had said the date for the ruling would be communicated
to the parties whenever it is ready.
Multiple sources in the tribunal, however, informed our
correspondent late on Tuesday that the CCT panel had fixed Wednesday for the
ruling.
“Parties in the case
were informed today (Tuesday) that the ruling will come up tomorrow,
(Wednesday),” a CCT official told our correspondent.
The Senate President, through his no-case submission filed
before the CCT on May 26, 2017, 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.
But arguing the Federal Government’s objection to the
no-case submission on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs
(SAN), said there was a “serious prima facie case” against the Senate
President.
The prosecution had closed its case after its fourth
witness, Mr. Bayo Dauda, an official of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Ilorin branch,
started and concluded his testimony on May 4.
Adopting the defendant’s written addresses before the CCT on
Thursday, the lead defence counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), said the petition
which precipitated the charges had nothing to do with Saraki.
Agabi said the charges, especially counts 1, 2, 6, 9,10, 11,
12, 13, 14 and 16, had disclosed no valid offences.
He said, “Our submission is that the prosecution has not
made out a case warranting an answer from the defendant is dated May 21, 2017
and filed on May 26, 2017. Our reply on point of law is dated June 7, 2017.”
In response, Jacobs insisted that the prosecution had made
out a “serious prima facie case” had been established against the Senate
President.
He urged the tribunal to analyse and juxtapose the various
asset declaration forms submitted by the defendant to reveal the falsehoods in
them.
Jacobs said, “Our response to the no-case submission is
dated June 2, 2017 and filed the same day.
“One method your lordship should adopt to show that there is
a serious prima facie case against the defendant is to look at Exhibits 6 and
26 which are asset declarations made by the defendant after the investigation
of this case.
“My lordships will see that the defendant listed all the
properties and stated that they were acquired in 1992 and 1999 and now. If my
lord juxtaposes them with Exhibits 1 to 5, some of the properties he claimed
(were) acquired in 1999, 2002, and 2003, were not declared.”
By Ade Adesomoju
