Senate President, Bukola Saraki, facing trial over allegation of false declaration of assets, on Thursday told the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT that he has no case to answer.
The Senate President’s Counsel, Mr. Paul Erokoro, SAN, notified the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal of his intention to make a no-case-submission in respect of the 18-count corruption charge the Federal Government preferred against him.
Ewokoro contended that FG failed to establish a prima-facie case capable of warranting the tribunal to compel his client to enter his defence to the charge.
Saraki equally argued that none of the witnesses linked him to the commission of any offence.
He maintained that the prosecution could not substantiate the ingredients of the charge.
Erokoro, SAN, secured permission of the CCT panel to file the no-case-application on a day the federal government closed its case against the defendant having produced a total of four witnesses that testified before the tribunal.
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Recall that the federal government in the charge with suit No. CCT/ABJ/01/15 accused Saraki of making false/anticipatory declaration of assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau, operated foreign accounts while in office as Kwara State governor between 2003 and 2011, as well as collected governorship salary four years after his tenure had elapsed.
However, before the case was adjourned till June 8, the last prosecution witness, Mr. Bayo Dauda, who testified as the PW-4, narrated how Saraki took loan of 375million in 2010 to acquire a property in the United Kingdom.
The witness, who is a banker with the Guarantee Trust Bank, said he was Saraki’s relationship/account officer in 2003.
He said Saraki was newly elected into office as the Governor of Kwara state when the said account was opened in April 2003.
The witness said the defendant was offered loan by the bank on three occasions spanning between 2006 and 2010.
“The first one was N380million which was offered on October 11, 2006. The next one was also N380m granted on January 30, 2007, while the third one was N375million which was granted to the defendant on February 10, 2010” he said.
Mr. Dauda however disclosed that there was an agreement for the loans to be repaid through five equal quarterly installments of N76million in addition to the accrued interest.
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