The trial of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, took a new dimension on Friday with the Federal Ministry of Justice requesting the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, sitting in Abuja to issue bench warrant for the arrest of the Senate President.
A deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Mr. M.S. Hassan, filed for the arrest order following the refusal of Saraki to appear before the tribunal to enter his plea to the13- count corruption charge preferred against him.
The Senate President, who was billed for arraignment on Friday morning, sent his team of lawyers to serve the tribunal with a copy of the ruling of Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, yesterday, which summoned the Ministry of Justice to appear on Monday to show cause why the trial should be allowed to proceed.
Also summoned by the court was the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar, that of the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, Mr. Sam Saba, as well as Mr. Hassan who signed the charge against Saraki.
However, Saraki’s absence at the tribunal for the commencement of his prosecution over alleged false declaration of assets angered the Ministry of Justice, causing it to pray the Justice Umar-led panel to order for his arrest, saying “he cannot sit in the comfort of his chamber and object to his trial in absentia.”
The prosecution, which accused Saraki of engaging in “forum shopping” in a desperate bid to scuttle his trial, further argued that Justice Mohammed lacked the powers to summon the CCT and CCB chairmen.
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