A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed June 21 for the arraignment of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, and two others on two counts of criminal conspiracy and forgery.
Justice,Yusuf Halilu, fixed the date after ordering substituted service of the charges on the defendants.
The order made by the court followed a complaint by the prosecution that several attempts of personal service on the defendants had failed.
Justice Halilu, while granting prosecution’s request for substituted service on the defendants, ordered that the charges be pasted on the notice board of the National Assembly.
The request for substituted service was made orally by the prosecuting counsel, David Kaswe.
He told the judge that the prosecution had deposed to affidavits showing the difficulty of the prosecution to serve the defendants personally.
He then urged the court to activate the provisions of section 123 and 124 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which permits the court to order other means of service apart from personal service.
He said although the application for substituted service should have been made ex parte, he would allow Kaswe’s oral application “to fly” considering the need for the defendants to be aware of charges.
Saraki, Ekweremadu, and a former Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasu, and his deputy, Benedict Efeturi, were on June 10, charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy and forgery of the Standing Rules used for the leadership election of the presiding officers of the Senate last year.
The Federal Government pointed out that the offence of conspiracy is punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Act; and offence of forgery with “fraudulent intent” punishable under Section 364 of the same law.
It was alleged that the 2011 version of the Senate Orders was secretly altered by some individuals to produce the 2015 edition.
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