Saraki Loses Appeal To Stop Trial

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Friday lost his case at the Court of Appeal seeking to stop his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT. The country’s number three man was dragged to the CCT on a 13-count charge of false declaration of assets.

Saraki had approached the court to stop the proceedings at the CCT, but Friday’s ruling may have dashed his hopes of achieving that.

He was seeking to stop the trial on the argument that the CCT was not properly constituted.

But Justice Moore Adumen, who read the unanimous verdict of the three man panel, said the tribunal, which docked the Senate President on September 22, and October 21, 2015, was properly instituted.

Relying on section 28 of the Interpretation Act to reach the decision, the court held that the Danladi Umar-led CCT could sit with the chairman and one other member. He further explained that the CCT and CCB Act and the constitution did not talk about a quorum.