Date: 2017-06-24

...says Nothing will come out of FG's appeal against CCT Judgment

SENATE President Bukola Saraki said yesterday that he was unperturbed over the decision of the Federal Government to appeal against the judgment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, which last week, discharged and acquitted him of charges that he had violated the code of conduct for public officers.

Saraki also accused some people in government whom he described as desperate of working in unison with their collaborators outside the government to pull him down down at all cost and by all means, adding that these persons do not even bother if they destroy the institution of the judiciary in the process. The Senate President has therefore called on security agencies to immediately commence the process of investigation into alleged bribery of tribunal judges.

Bukola Saraki It will be recalled that the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, had on Wednesday in Abuja, said that he had directed that an appeal be filed against the judgement of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, which had discharged and acquitted Senate President, Bukola Saraki of charges that he had violated the code of conduct by declaring false documents.

In a statement signed yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Senate President said that he was confident that the verdict at the appellate court would not be different from that of the tribunal, arguing that the facts of the case were still the same, and the grounds on which the decision of the CCT was based, remained unassailable.

According to the statement,"following the decision of the Federal Government to file an appeal against the ruling of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) which upheld the plea of no case submission he made on the 18-counts charge of false asset declaration preferred against him, Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki wishes to reiterate his earlier position that he remains unperturbed by the development.

"Dr. Saraki is confident that the verdict at the appellate court would not be different from that of the tribunal as the facts of the case remain the same and the grounds on which the decision of the CCT was based remain unassailable.

"Anybody who has been following the proceedings and the evidence given by the prosecution witnesses during examination in chief and cross examination would know that if presented before any court of Justice and law, the same outcome as in the CCT would be arrived at.

Those who are running commentary on the ruling by the Tribunal and criticizing it are those who are not even familiar with the case and the details coming out of the trial.

"That is why Dr. Saraki continues to wonder how desperate some people in government and their collaborators outside have become to pull him down at all cost and by all means up to the point that they do not care if they destroy the institution of the judiciary in the process.

That is why they sponsored stories of allegation of bribery in an online publication against the Tribunal judges. The Senate President seizes this opportunity to call on security agencies to immediately commence investigation on this bribery allegation. It is his views that those who made the allegation should be invited to substantiate their claims.