By Adejoke
Adeogun, New Mail
The Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja has ordered
the arrest of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, for failing to appear on
Friday as the tribunal commenced hearing of a 13-count charge of alleged
corruption against him.
The chairman of the tribunal, Danladi Umar,
issued a bench warrant against Saraki, brushing aside a Federal High Court
order seeking to stop Saraki’s arraignment.
Saraki had on Thursday obtained a Federal High
Court order directing that the case against him be halted, but on Friday, the
prosecution counsel, Muslim Hassan, asked the tribunal to order his arrest for
failing to appear before it, arguing that the high court had parallel
jurisdiction with the tribunal and as such, had no powers to halt a trial of
the tribunal.
Saraki’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu, however, prayed
the tribunal to adjourn the case until after the Federal High Court sitting on
Monday, but the tribunal chairman granted the prayer of the prosecutor.
The Bureau had slammed a 13-count charge of
corruption on Saraki via a 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, exclusively
published by PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday, the Senate President is 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 and 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 dismissed the charges as “false and
frivolous”, insisting in a statement by one of his aides that “those behind
this plot will definitely meet Dr. Saraki in court as this case, which is based
on outright fabrication and mischief, will not and cannot stand the test of
justice.”
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Culled from New Mail
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