The first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja, Mr. Michael Wetkas, insisted on Wednesday that Saraki made an anticipatory declaration of assets while he was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

The subject of the alleged anticipatory asset declaration of asset in count 1 in the charges preferred against the Senate President is said to be  the property at 15, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), on Wednesday,  Wetkas said his investigative team relied on information provided by the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Sales of Federal Government Properties which sold off the property in question on behalf of the  Federal Government in 2006.

According to the witness, the presidential committee said it did not have in its record, 15 A and B, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, as declared by Saraki in 2003.

He said what the committee said it had were 15, and Block 15, Flat 1 to 4, Mcdonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He said on assuming office as the Governor of Kwara State in 2003, Saraki declared that he acquired  15A and B, Mcdonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos in 2000, whereas, the presidential committee wrote to his investigative team that it sold 15, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos to Saraki through his company, Tiny Tee Limited, in 2006.

He said, “The only authority that we could refer to was the presidential committee or the Lagos State Land Registry or the Presidential Implementation Committee

“The other letters referred to by them (Saraki’s lawyers) were by private individuals.

“We relied on the document from the Presidential Implementation Committee which said they only had 15, McDonald Road and Block 15, Flat 1 to 4, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, which was occupied by another lessee.

“We relied on the numbering of the properties by the presidential implementation committee and they stated that 15, McDonald Road, Ikoyi  was sold to Tiny-Tee.  That was the strength of our conclusion.”

Responding to another question, Wetkas said he did not personally visit the landed assets at 15, 15A and B, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, but other members of his investigative team did.

When asked why he did not personally visit the assets, he said he needed not to because the latest letter by the implementation committee to his investigative team had done all needed clarifications on it.

He said, “There was no need for me to ask the implementation committee to take me to the properties. The letter clarified that there were only two properties as 15 and Block 15, Flats 1 to 4.”

Saraki is being prosecuted before the Danladi Umar-led CCT on 16 counts, including false and anticipatory asset declaration, operation and maintenance of foreign accounts while serving as Kwara State Governor, between 2003 and 2007.

Earlier on Tuesday, one of Saraki’s lawyers who cross-examined Wetkas, Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN), had suggested that the inclusion of 15 A and B, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, into  the asset declaration form submitted by Saraki to the Code of Conduct Bureau on assumption of office as governor in 2003, showed that the document  had been tampered with.

Erokoro maintained that his client could never have possibly declared the assets in 2003 given the keenly contested bidding that greeted them when they were offered for sale by the presidential committee in 2006.

Fielding more questions from Usoro on Wednesday, Wetkas confirmed that the asset at 15, McDonald Road, Ikoyi, was at various times offered to a company, Energy Marine Resources and the occupant of the house, Mr. Virtus Nwosu.

But the witness confirmed that that it was eventually sold to Saraki’s company.

However, Usoro confronted Wetkas with documents on the property which were obtained from the presidential committee and tendered as exhibits, to fault the prosecution’s case.

But Usoro also responded by saying that 15B described as an undeveloped plot in Exhibit 3 could never have been such property that was later expanded after it was purchased.

The CCT adjourned the trial till May 17 for further cross-examination of the prosecution witness.