"Saraki's Trial Will Now Hold Daily" ~ Justice
Tue Apr 19, 2016 10:54:am Politics
5.1K By sosa hills
Senate President, Bukola Saraki will from today face daily trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over alleged false declaration of assets.
The CCT adjourned the case till today for the daily trial from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
The Senate President arrived the Tribunal in the company of a few lawmakers.
The sitting resumed at 12PM, the prosecution witness, Michael Wekpas, was back on the witness stand and he tendered the asset declaration form of the Senate President for the year 2011 as exhibit and again. The defence counsel reserved its objection to a later date.
After tendering the document, the witness began his testimony. He spoke about a property on No. 15a and 15b MacDonald Street Ikoyi, which was bought from the presidential committee on sales of government properties and was allegedly bought by Tiny-Tee Company owned by the Senate President.
He said that the property was declared by the Senate President as his property but when the investigators wrote to the presidential committee to verify the ownership, their response was that from their records, the property was listed only as No. 15 MacDonald Street Ikoyi Lagos.
He added that 75% of the payment for that property, which he put at 124 million Naira, was paid from a commercial bank account owned by another company of the Senate President.
The witness said the property bought from the Presidential implementation committee on sales of Federal Government properties, he said that the policy of the committee was that a person could only purchase one property but that the Senate President, by their findings, had three property acquired from the sale using company and personal name.
The session started at 12 noon after the prosecution prayed for a one-hour stand down because of the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs who was at the Court of Appeal.
"Let me state it here for both the prosecution and the defence that the trial of the defendant shall proceed on a day-to-day basis till the conclusion of this matter and it will begin from 10:00am to 6:00pm," Justice Danladi Umar held.
During the last hearing on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, prosecutors had tendered over 20 documents to prove their charges of false declaration of assets against the Senate President.
The first prosecution witness, Mr Micheal Wekpas told the Tribunal how loans and fund in the accounts of the defendant were allegedly used to buy property in the United Kingdom, Abuja and Lagos State.
He also told the Tribunal that long after the Senate President ended his tenure as Governor of Kwara State, the state continued to pay his salaries until October 31, 2015.
The trial was then adjourned till April 18, 2016 for continuation of hearing and cross-examination.
The CCT adjourned the case till today for the daily trial from 10:00am to 6:00pm.
The Senate President arrived the Tribunal in the company of a few lawmakers.
The sitting resumed at 12PM, the prosecution witness, Michael Wekpas, was back on the witness stand and he tendered the asset declaration form of the Senate President for the year 2011 as exhibit and again. The defence counsel reserved its objection to a later date.
After tendering the document, the witness began his testimony. He spoke about a property on No. 15a and 15b MacDonald Street Ikoyi, which was bought from the presidential committee on sales of government properties and was allegedly bought by Tiny-Tee Company owned by the Senate President.
He said that the property was declared by the Senate President as his property but when the investigators wrote to the presidential committee to verify the ownership, their response was that from their records, the property was listed only as No. 15 MacDonald Street Ikoyi Lagos.
He added that 75% of the payment for that property, which he put at 124 million Naira, was paid from a commercial bank account owned by another company of the Senate President.
The witness said the property bought from the Presidential implementation committee on sales of Federal Government properties, he said that the policy of the committee was that a person could only purchase one property but that the Senate President, by their findings, had three property acquired from the sale using company and personal name.
The session started at 12 noon after the prosecution prayed for a one-hour stand down because of the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs who was at the Court of Appeal.
"Let me state it here for both the prosecution and the defence that the trial of the defendant shall proceed on a day-to-day basis till the conclusion of this matter and it will begin from 10:00am to 6:00pm," Justice Danladi Umar held.
During the last hearing on Wednesday, April 6, 2016, prosecutors had tendered over 20 documents to prove their charges of false declaration of assets against the Senate President.
The first prosecution witness, Mr Micheal Wekpas told the Tribunal how loans and fund in the accounts of the defendant were allegedly used to buy property in the United Kingdom, Abuja and Lagos State.
He also told the Tribunal that long after the Senate President ended his tenure as Governor of Kwara State, the state continued to pay his salaries until October 31, 2015.
The trial was then adjourned till April 18, 2016 for continuation of hearing and cross-examination.
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