The Appellant Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday dismissed the appeal filed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, questioning the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to try him on charges bordering on false assets declaration.
The Justice Abdul Aboki-led panel, delivering judgment on the matter filed by the Senate President, affirmed the CCT’s jurisdiction, while dismissing the appeal filed by Saraki.
The Senate President, had told the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Danladi Umar that he has no right to preside over his ongoing trial.
Saraki filed a fresh case suit challenging the jurisdiction of the Danladi Umar-led CCT to try him on false assets declaration charges
Justice Aboki, while affirming the earlier ruling of the Tribunal’s Chairman, Danladi Umar that affirmed the tribunal’s jurisdiction, held that against Saraki’s contention, the Attorney-General of the Federation had the power to institute charges against him before the CCT.
The Justice Aboki-led panel further held that under the Constitution, CCT was not under any obligation to invite the appellant to enable him to make written admission of breaches in his asset declaration forms before charges could be initiated against him.
On the earlier decision to exonerate former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, the court sustained the decision on account that he was not invited by the CCB to confront him with the allegations levelled against him.
It added that the fact that the charges were initiated 13 years after the offences were allegedly committed was immaterial.
Justice Aboki said the Saraki’s contention was sentimental which the court had been enjoined not to delve into.
This is not the first time the appeal court would be delivering judgment on the same subject matter of jurisdiction of the CCT to try the Senate President.
The Court of Appeal had last year ruled against Saraki on the jurisdiction of the CCT and asked him to proceed to face the 16 counts preferred against him and the judgment of the appeal court was validated by the Supreme Court in February.
Also, Justice Abdul Kafarati of the Federal High Court in Abuja had in April 2016 struck out the application by the Senate President, seeking nullification of his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.
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