FG lines up El-Rufai, 4 other witnesses against Saraki

The Federal Government, yesterday, docked the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja, on a 13-count criminal charge that bordered on corruption, false declaration of assets, and illegal operation of a foreign bank account while in office as a public servant.

Saraki, who was docked before the tribunal at  11:24am, yesterday, pleaded not guilty to the charge marked ABT/01/15, which the Federal Ministry of Justice preferred against him following a recommendation by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.

In the charge sheet which was signed by a deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. M. S. Hassan, he was alleged to have manipulated the assets declaration forms he submitted before the CCB in 2003, 2007 and 2011, by making anticipatory declaration of assets.

The Federal Government maintained that the action of the Senate President ran contrary to the provisions of section 2 of the CCB and Tribunal Act, and punishable under section 15(1) & (2), and 23(2) of the CCB and Tribunal Act, Cap C15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, as well as paragraph 9 of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

 federal government has lined up a total of five witnesses that will testify against Saraki, including the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and incumbent governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Naisr El-Rufai.

El-Rufai is expected to testify that he was the one that sold one of the assets that Saraki bought in Abuja, which the government alleged that he failed to include among the assets belonging to him.

The government said it has already furnished Saraki with the proof of evidence against him, just as it also attached as exhibits, four different assets declaration forms the accused persons submitted to the CCB.

“We have gathered enough evidence to prove that the defendant made anticipatory assets declaration”, Rotimi boasted.

Before he exited the dock yesterday, Saraki, who was all smiles, gaily acknowledged cheers from his supporters who defied heavy security presence within the tribunal premises and thronged the court room in their numbers yesterday.

Vanguard