The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, against the judgment of the Appeal Court on his trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on charges of false asset declaration.
A seven-man bench, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, gave the judgment that the CCT was properly constituted to exercise jurisdiction over Saraki’s trial and has jurisdiction to try criminal matters.
The apex court had adjourned till February 5, 2016 to determine the appeal seeking to quash charges against the Senate President, after it entertained arguments from both Dr. Saraki and the Federal Government in December 2015.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on October 30, 2015, affirmed the jurisdiction of the CCT to try him and the competence of the charges of false asset declaration preferred against him by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government leveled a 13-count criminal charge against the former Kwara State Governor before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over alleged false declaration of assets.
Dr. Saraki was accused of deliberately manipulating the assets declaration form that he filled prior to his assumption of office as the Senate President, by making anticipatory declaration of assets as well as operated foreign bank account while in office as a public servant.
With this judgment by the Supreme Court, the trial of the Senate President before the CCT for alleged false asset declaration is set to continue.
After the ruling, the Senate President expressed disappointment.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Senate President said that he would like to put it on record that “the facts of the substantial matter are not before the Supreme Court since the apex court was only invited to rule on some preliminary issues in the process of commencing the trial”.
