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CCT Dismisses Saraki’s Latest Application To Adjourn Trial

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has dismissed the application of the embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to adjourn his trial to next week to enable his experts to examine and analyze all exhibits tendered against him by the prosecution in his ongoing corruption trial in Abuja.

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Mr. Saraki, through his counsel, Kanu Agabi, on Tuesday said that they need adequate time for the experts to go through the prosecution’s exhibits and prepare their defense.

In his objection to the application, prosecuting counsel Rotimi Jacobs said the application was unclear and ambiguous, stating that the defense’s exhibits were collected on Monday and they were satisfied with it. He faulted the claim by the defense that some of the exhibits were not a part of the proof of evidence.                                     

According to Mr. Jacobs, the defense should commend the tribunal for making available all exhibits tendered rather than seeking adjournment, as the defense have had ample time to study the document.

He argued that the tribunal has been adjourned more than seven times in favor of the defense since September 2015 when the case started, adding that the application sought by the defense is an attempt to defeat the pronouncement made by the court that the matter would be heard day-to-day in line with Section 396 Subsections 3 and 4 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 (ACJA). 

The prosecution pleaded the court to adjourn to tomorrow, Wednesday, to allow the lead witness to continue and conclude his cross-examination.  Mr. Jacobs urged the court to throw out the application to allow the trial to be heard expeditiously.

CCT Chairman Danladi Umar ruled in favor of the prosecution and directed that the defense to examine the document today, stressing that the trial must continue day to day.  The case was then adjourned to Wednesday, April 20.

When the matter was settled and the trial resumed, witness Michael Wetcast was asked by the defense if any items in the petition written by the Kwara Freedom Network made any reference to the declaration of assets and if the witness investigated the Accountant General of Kwara State and the officials of State Primary Education Board (SUPEB) over the illegal transfer of funds. The witness said they were not part of his assignment.

Mr. Wetcast was then asked if he critically examined the petition of the group. He told the court that he did not and insisted that the said petition did not form part of the documents that led to the investigation by his team in 2014.

"The intelligence comes orally or in writing. Sometimes our sources want their reports to be protected and secret, and that is why we call it confidential; the different between the petition and the intelligence report is that people who give the intelligence report ask the commission to protect their identity.”                                                    

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public Petition has invited Mr. Danladi to appear before it on Thursday to answer questions bordering on the allegation of a N10million bribe leveled against him by one anti-corruption network.  The group, however, refused to appear before the committee after being invited twice. When the group finally showed up, they could not provide any documents to back up their claims.                                                         

The Senate recently moved for the amendment of the CCT/CCB Acts, which hurriedly passed through the second reading in three days, and would greatly disempower the Code of Conduct Bureau.

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Corruption