Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has welcomed the decision of the Federal Government to file an appeal against the ruling of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), which upheld the plea of no case submission he made on the 18-count charge of false asset declaration preferred against him.
He said Friday that he” wishes to reiterate his earlier position that he remains unperturbed by the development.”
He said he is confident that the verdict at the appellate court would not be different from that of the tribunal as the facts of the case remain the same and the grounds on which the decision of the CCT was based remain unassailable.
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Senate President said, “Anybody who has been following the proceedings and the evidence given by the prosecution witnesses during examination in chief and cross examination should know that if presented before any court of Justice and law, the same outcome as in the CCT would be arrived at.
“Those who are running commentary on the ruling by the Tribunal and criticizing it are those who are not even familiar with the case and the details coming out of the trial.
“That is why Dr. Saraki continues to wonder how desperate some people in government and their collaborators outside have become to pull him down at all cost and by all means up to the point that they do not care if they destroy the institution of the judiciary in the process.
“That is why they sponsored stories of allegation of bribery in an online publication against the Tribunal judges.”
He called on security agencies to immediately commence investigation on this bribery allegation, adding that those who made the allegation should be invited to substantiate their claims.
“This same desperation made a man like Prof. Itse Sagay, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC) to appear on tape admitting in a foreign country that he interfered with the process in the Tribunal when in an unethical manner he was instructing the judge on how to conduct the trial.
“Corruption is not just about giving or diverting money. When an official interferes with the judicial process with a view to achieve personal objectives, that is corruption.
The Senate President stated that another sign of desperation by those who want to get him convicted at all cost was the failed antics of the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, who in collusion with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sought to manipulate evidence at the tribunal
“If not desperation by the prosecution, why is the EFCC so involved in a case of false asset declaration, which is an exclusive preserve of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB)? All the evidence presented during the trial was from the EFCC.
“The Commission rendered the CCB a second fiddle player. That is why the only CCB witness presented by the prosecution gave what the tribunal referred to as ‘hearsay evidence’.
“The CCB chief prosecutor testified that he got his instruction to investigate the case orally. He made his report from the investigation orally. Even the directive to ‘collaborate with EFCC’ on the investigation was given orally, a development the tribunal found strange and unknown to law.
“This Appeal against the CCT ruling is nothing but another attempt to grandstand and embark on another media trial without any substance. This is why the Senate President is sure it will be another exercise in futility.” He said
