Prosecution: Saraki tackles code of conduct tribunal
…You’re being influenced by external influence, Saraki tells tribunal
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NIGERIA: SENATE President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has described the charges leveled against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal as “false, incorrect and untrue.”
The Senate president said that going by the content of the charges it was obvious that the tribunal was being influenced by “external influence and interference” and that it was a “politically motivated prosecution aimed at undermining the person and office of the Senate President.”
Saraki, who explained that though he had not been served any charge sheet as at Wednesday, said he had consistently declared his assets in line with the law since, hence there was nothing significant in the charges leveled against him.
“That Dr. Saraki has consistently declared his assets as required by law at every point before resuming any political office and that of 2015 is not an exception,” the Senate President said in his 13-point response to the allegations.
“It is surprising that the alleged charges is (are) now referring his asset declaration made in 2003 while in office as Governor of Kwara State to formulate their charges,” he said in the statement by his Media Office. “They therefore ignored the recent declaration for which they last week issued an acknowledgement.”
“That we believe that the Code of Conduct Bureau following their processes in which after a declaration is submitted to the bureau they carried out verification of the assets and ascertained the claims made, should not wait till 12 years later to be pointing out an alleged inconsistencies in a document submitted to it in 2003,” Saraki said.
“This same Dr. Saraki submitted asset declaration form in 2007, 2011 and 2015. It is unexplainable that the case in question is now based on the 2003 declaration,” he said.
He declared that contrary to the procedure indicated in the law setting up the CCB, the bureau never wrote to him to complain of any inconsistency in his asset declaration forms.
“It should also be noted that Dr. Saraki as Governor of Kwara State never operated a foreign account,” while stressing further that the issues contained in the charge sheet are subjects of earlier decided and on-going cases in court.”
“We therefore believe those behind filing of these charges are engaging in forum-shopping,” Saraki declared.
He defended himself further: “It should be noted that we do not know on whose authority these charges are filed when the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act clearly indicate that any prosecution must be authorised by an Attorney General and we know the nation last had an AG in May 2015.
“This is another clear indication that the CCT is acting under influence from outside its domain and therefore ready to bend the rules to achieve this obnoxious objective.
“We therefore conclude that this is not an anti-corruption driven case and cannot be part of the moves aimed at fighting corruption. It is simply a pure malicious and politically motivated prosecution aimed at undermining the person and office of the Senate President.”
The Senate boss said that those behind the tribunal action would meet him in court “as this case which is based on outright fabrication and mischief will not and cannot stand the test of justice.”
Saraki said that it should be noted that throughout his career as a public official democratically elected to high public service, he had always held himself “to global standards of transparency and accountability, to a far higher standard of diligence, disclosure, and compliance, than required or even requested by Nigeria’s Code of Conduct protocols.”
According him, due to the above, he had “always, lawfully and accountably, declared his assets, both directly owned, and in which he may derive any historical and on-going degree of beneficial interest.”
The Senate President said he affirmed his belief in the justice system and that when the proposed case comes to the tribunal, he will diligently state his case, adding that he was ready to co-operate with the tribunal and other lawful government agencies in the bid to genuinely fight corruption and eliminate impunity in the nation’s public affairs.
Apparently referring to himself, Saraki said that “anytime you try to fight corruption or insist that the right thing should be done, the system will always come after you.”
He maintained that the tribunal’s move was “another case of desperation to fight” him due to his “recent stance on national issues.”
