The Code of Conduct Tribunal has shifted the commencement of the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on 13 counts of false assets declaration from March 10 to March 11.

The Danladi Umar-led CCT had after the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on February 5, validating the trial of the Senate President and the charges preferred against him, fixed March 10 for the prosecution to open its case.

But the Head, Press and Public Relations of the CCT, Mr. Ibraheem Al-hassan, said in a statement on Tuesday that the date of the trial had been re-scheduled to March 11 following a request by Saraki’s new lead counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN).

According to Al-hassan, Agabi pleaded with the CCT to shift the trial date by one day on the grounds that he other urgent matters to attend to in other courts on March 10.
The CCT spokesperson said Agabi conveyed his request to the CCT in a letter dated February 26, 2016.

He quoted Agabi’s letter as stating, ‘‘I write as lead counsel to the above defendant to apply that the matter which is now scheduled to come up on the 10th day of March 2016, subject to the convenience of the Honourable Tribunal and learned counsel for the prosecution, be taken on the 11th day of March, 2016, due to my earlier and urgent commitments in other courts on the 10th.

“I will sincerely appreciate the indulgence of the Tribunal to accommodate me in this way’’.

Al-hassan said Agabi ended his letter “by apologising for the inconvenience caused to the honourable tribunal and other learned counsel.”
Agabi might have taken over from a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), as the lead counsel, after the judgment of the Supreme Court was delivered on February 5.

Daudu had led a retinue of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and other junior lawyers to argue the objection of the Senate President’s trial right from the tribunal up to the Supreme Court level.

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 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 CJN 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.

The judgment of the Supreme Court terminated an earlier order of the a panel of apex court presided over by now retired Justice John Fabiyi, which had on November 12, 2015, stayed proceedings in the trial of the Senate President.

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 Covernor 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 streak of property in London and that he maintained an account outside Nigeria while serving as governor.

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

Saraki failed in his bid to get the Danladi Umar-led tribunal to quash the 13 counts, 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 on among his seven grounds of appeal, that the CCT lacked jurisdiction to try him as it was constituted by two instead of three members.

The apex court upheld the argument by the Federal Government’s lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) and held that contrary to Saraki’s contention, the Danladi Umar-led CCT was validly constituted by two members.

He held that while the Constitution under Paragraph 15(1) of the 5th Schedule provides that the CCT must be composed by the Chairman and two members, the law was silent on the quorum of the tribunal that could validly conduct its proceedings.


http://www.punchng.com/cct-shifts-sarakis-trial-to-march-11/

one day this guy will destroy Apc I like him.

I really dont want to Believe that this case is going to be Business as usual, Saraki must be made to face the Law so that other leaders who will come into power to steal Public will think twice before they do so. My only fear in this case is the Judge some of our Judge na goat and yam them be.
Once you throw money at them they are ready to get 100 SAN to come Defend you. lets just hope its will not be swept under the carpet.

Whether na march 10 or March 11 nothing will happen.We will march for Saraki

Saraki oh

CHUKWUDI44 is saraki paying you? your support for him these days...we will ask you to declare your asset too o

chukwudi44:
Whether na march 10 or March 11 nothing will happen.We will march for Saraki

story

tsephanyah:
one day this guy will destroy Apc I like him.

.

DONSMITH123:
story

the mis- trust and mis- guided people in Apc are too much so the rightly guided ones will come back to PDP or create another party but Apc is collapsing secretly. that old man tinunmbu is like pharaoh he want to rule everyone, he like power too much, but some politicians will not summit to him, attack me as u like and he is uglier than some guerillas

Saraki

chukwudi44:
Whether na march 10 or March 11 nothing will happen.We will march for Saraki

You suppose don grow pass some habits now haba......this is not a joking matter now... as I am typing here teachers are still on strike in Kwara State courtesy of the Draconian measures of Bukola Saraki on the State revenues......the current Governor, Abdul Fatah Ahmed is just a.figure head and you are here joking....anyway by March 11, Saraki is history.

The face of corruption

Am not eager to hear the outcome of that trial again,the case has already been finalized nd sealed in VP office 2wks ago,what next again??

U can only fool some people, not every body.....Buch of slowpoke old fools......


If u are still waiting for saraki to be found guilty, na OYO una dey.

Hmmmm

postponing his dooms day

Why na? People are anxious to see him in handcuffs like Metuh and the expensive cars he bought with our money auctioned or returned.
Hope the next senate president will think Nigeria-made cars to help the struggling economy.

hh

I'm I d only one not interested in what happens to these guys... create jobs, stabilise d naira and get this country moving rather than Chasing shadows

APC is a kingdom divided against itself and it'd surely fall.

I give the dullardinhos who would come after me till 2019 to realise that they never supported a party.

Saraki remains Apc's bane no matter the magic and crooked moves dey make. Saraki will av the last laugh even if it means going down with dem...

Brb

Postponing the evil day

And so it continues.... Yeye

Postponing the evil day for Saraki.

Nothing go still happen abi naija don dy different?

Going going going. case gone

we are watching them ohhh.no be naija we they again.oya na lets go there

Saraki led senate is nothing but a a group of people grounding the country because of their shady ambition and greed.

Its so shameful that our so called law makers are bunch of criminals and i wonder if any good can come from them.

I think saraki should just have his days in court and i hope he will be convicted to serve as deterrent to others cause its clear that he falsify his asset declaration and he is now begging and kneeing down everywhere to cover his tracks.

#WeNeedSeriousSenateMembers