The Supreme Court, on Friday dismissed all assets declaration charges against Senate President Bukola Saraki, laying to rest the almost three year old trial on assets declaration and sundry charges instituted against him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Our correspondent reports that a five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Dattijo Muhammad unanimously upheld Saraki’s appeal, by dismissing the remnant three counts, declaring the evidence led by the prosecution as hearsay.
Recall that the Danladi Umar-led CCT had, in June last year, terminated the trial upon an application by Saraki, by dismissing the entire 18 counts preferred against the Senate President.
According to CCT, the decision was based on the grounds that the prosecution, with its four witnesses and 49 exhibits tendered, only led hearsay evidence which could not be the basis to link Saraki to the 18 counts preferred against him.
However, the Court of Appeal in Abuja ruling on December 12, 2017, in an appeal filed by the Federal Government against the decision of the CCT, restored three out of the dismissed 18 counts and ordered Saraki to return to the CCT to defend the three charges.
While Saraki had appealed to the Supreme Court against the part of the Court of Appeal’s decision restoring three of the 18 counts, the Federal Government had cross-appealed against the part of the decision affirming the tribunal’s dismissal of the rest of the 15 counts.
However, in its lead judgment on Friday, Justice Centus Nweze upheld Saraki’s appeal and dismissed the Federal Government’s appeal, and agreed with the CCT that the evidence led by the prosecution at the tribunal was entirely hearsay.
Speaking on the Judgement, lead Counsel to Saraki, Kanu Agabi, thanked God almighty for the ruling and extolled the Judiciary for upholding the truth. He said with the judgement, Nigerians are now convinced that the trial was ill-conceived from the beginning.
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