Senator Bukola Saraki: in the dock

The Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja, has fixed October 5 to deliver ruling on the fresh motion in which Senate President Bukola Saraki is seeking to stop his trial on 16-count  charges of false/anticipated declaration of assets by the Federal Government.

The Senate President, through Kanu Agabi, his lawyer, had in the motion argued just before the CCT went on break in May asked Mr. Danladi Umar, the Chairman of the Tribunal to disqualify himself from continuing to preside over his trial over some comments he made in the open court.

He argued that the statements indicated that the CCT has already made up his mind to found him guilty of the charges.

However, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, the lead prosecution counsel for the Federal Government opposed the motion, arguing that it was as an abuse of judicial process and a deliberate ploy by the defendant to stall his trial.

In the same vein, the CCT has also fixed September 21 to deliver judgment on the one count charge of failure to declare assets preferred against the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe.

The Federal Government had alleged that Orubebe  failed to declare his ownership of  Plot 2057, Asokoro District, Abuja when he was appointed as minister into the cabinet of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

But in his defence, the former Minister said the property was no longer his own as he had already exchanged it with a landlord whom he owed accumulated rents before his appointment.

The dates for the continuation of Saraki’s trial and judgment in the case against Orubebe were announced in a press statement signed and released to the media by Head, Press & Public Relations at the CCT, Mr. Ibraheem Al-Hassan on Monday.