The Federal Government has told the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja that it now has sufficient evidence to establish that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, as a public officer, corruptly acquired several assets beyond his legitimate earnings
The prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, equally told the appellate court that five witnesses lined-up against the Senate President, have all expressed their readiness to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, on October 21, to testify and tender exhibits against Saraki.
It will be recalled that among those that the Federal Government billed to give oral testimony against Saraki are former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and current governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
A source said Governor El-Rufai said he's ready to testify and that he was the one who sold one of the assets that Saraki bought in Abuja which the government alleged he failed to list among the assets he acquired while in office as the governor of Kwara State. If he expose this in court, it will nail Saraki.
The prosecution also told the court that Saraki has already been furnished with all the proofs of evidence against him, including copies of four separate assets declaration forms that he earlier submitted before the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.
Jacobs urged the appellate court to dismiss the Saraki's appeal and order him to go to CCT and clear his name. He is also alleged to have owned and operated foreign bank accounts while being a public officer.
Saraki, in his appeal, has challenged the legal propriety of the 13-count criminal charge preferred against him by the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Protect me from politically motivated witch-hunt, Saraki begs Appeal Court
However, Saraki, aside challenging the charges, also queried the constitutionality of the warrant of arrest initially issued against him by Chairman of the CCT, Justice Danladi Umar.
Besides, the Senate President, through his team of lawyers led by J.B. Daudu, SAN, wants the higher court to ascertain whether or not the Justice Umar-led panel subscribed to the appropriate legal procedure when it ordered him to mount the dock and enter his plea to the charges despite preliminary objections against his trial.
He raised 12 grounds of appeal against the CCT, supported by a 16-paragraph affidavit and four exhibits. Saraki also deposed another 17-paragraphed affidavit of urgency, wherein he urged the higher court to intervene and protect him from what he described as "a politically motivated witch-hunt."
He specifically urged the appellate court to suspend the proceeding of the tribunal pending the hearing and determination of the substantive appeal against the CCT.
A'Court refuses plea to stop CCT's proceedings
At the resumed sitting on Friday, a three-man panel of judges led by Justice Moore Adumein, struck out the application by Saraki for a stay of further proceedings of the tribunal. It was the view of the panel that the application has been overtaken by events.
Earlier, Saraki had through his counsel, argued that the CCT erred in law by going ahead with the trial despite that fact that "it was not properly constituted." He contended that whereas the Constitution provides for a three-man panel to sit over cases brought before the tribunal, he said that only two judges sat on September 22 when he was docked.
He claimed the composition of the tribunal was in violation of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
But the Court of Appeal refused to give in to such trivialities.
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