CCT refuses to quash charge against Saraki on alleged false assets declaration

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has failed to persuade the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja to quash the 13-count criminal charge the Federal Government entered against him. In a ruling this morning, the Justice Danladi Umar led panel held that the charge against him was valid and competent in law. ‎The CCT said both the law that established it and the 1999 constitution, as amended, conferred it with the requisite jurisdiction to hear and determine the case against the defendant. Relying on the decided case-law in FRN vs Atiku Abubakar, 2007, 8-NWLR, the tribunal said it was vested with the powers to handle allegations bordering on breach of code of conduct by public officers. Meanwhile, Justice Umar, admitted that the tribunal took an erroneous decision in a similar case that involved the former governor of Lagos State and national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Bola Tinubu. He said: ” The tribunal has since realised that the decision it made on the case between FRN vs Tinubu was in error and has clearly departed from it”. On Saraki’s contention that FG waited for over 13 years before instituting the charge against him, the CCT panel, held that there is no time frame for the prosecution of a criminal offence. “It is not out of place for the prosecution to charge the defendant now. The application to quash the charge is hereby refused. The tribunal hereby re-inforce its jurisdiction in line with the constitution an section 3(d) of the CCB &Tribunal Act.