CCT shifts Saraki’s trial to March 11.
The Code of Conduct Tribunal has shifted the commencement of the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki on 13 counts of false assets declaration from March 10 to March 11.
The Danladi Umar-led CCT had, after the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on February 5, validating the trial of the Senate President and the charges preferred against him, fixed March 10 for the prosecution to open its case.
The CCT spokesperson said Agabi conveyed his request to the CCT in a letter dated February 26, 2016.
He quoted Agabi’s letter as stating, ‘‘I write as lead counsel for the above defendant to apply that the matter, which is now scheduled to come up on March 10, 2016, subject to the convenience of the Honourable Tribunal and learned counsel for the prosecution, be taken on March 11, 2016, due to my earlier and urgent commitments in other courts on the 10th.
“I will sincerely appreciate the indulgence of the tribunal to accommodate me in this way’’.
Al-hassan said Agabi ended his letter “by apologising for the inconvenience caused to the honourable tribunal and other learned counsel.”
Agabi might have taken over from a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), as the lead counsel, after the judgment of the Supreme Court was delivered on February 5.
Daudu had led a retinue of Senior Advocates of Nigeria and other lawyers to argue the objection of the Senate President to the trial at the CCT right from the tribunal up to the Supreme Court level.
A seven-man panel of the apex court, presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, unanimously ruled in its judgment on February 5 that Saraki’s appeal against the jurisdiction of the CCT and the competence of the charges lacked merit.
Justice Walter Onnoghen, who delivered the lead judgment, dismissed all Saraki’s seven grounds of appeal, affirming that the charges instituted against him were valid and that the tribunal was validly constituted with requisite jurisdiction to try him.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Tuesday urged Justice Abdukadir Abdu-Kafarati of a Federal High Court in Abuja not to overrule the judgment of the Supreme Court by going ahead to stop the trial of Saraki on 13 counts of false assets declaration before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The Federal Government, through its lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), made the submission on Tuesday while opposing a fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by Saraki asking for an order to stop his trial before the CCT.
Already, the Code of Conduct Tribunal had, following a judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on February 5, 2016 validating the trial of the Senate President, fixed March 11 for the prosecution to open its case.
Justice Abdu-Kafarati on Tuesday fixed March 22 for judgment in the suit after entertaining arguments by Saraki’s lawyer, Mr. Ajibola Oluyede, in support of the suit and Jacobs’ opposition to it.
The Senate President, who was said to have submitted four assets declaration forms, which were allegedly investigated by the CCB, was found to have “corruptly acquired many properties while in office as Governor of Kwara State but failed to declare some of them in the said forms earlier filled and submitted”.
He also allegedly made an anticipatory declaration of assets upon his assumption of office as governor, which he later acquired.
He is was equally accused of sending money abroad for the purchase of property in London and that he maintained an account outside Nigeria while serving as governor.
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