Saraki Lampoons Code Of Conduct Bureau Over Corruption Charges Against Him…Says CCB Acting Under External Influence

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki has lampooned the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for slamming a 13 count corruption charge against him. He described the charges as false and forum-shopping. CCB in charge number ABT/01/15, dated September 11 and filed before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) accused the Senate President of engaging in anticipatory declaration of assets. It also alleged that Saraki made false declaration of assets in forms he filed before the Code of Conduct Bureau during his days as governor of Kwara state.

But in his response, Saraki dismissed the allegations as cocktail of lies. A statement from the Senate President’s office fingered external forces as being behind the CCB’s actions against him . It however did not name the forces.

In the charge sheet, the CCB alleged that Saraki with-held some of his assets while declaring his assets in 2003. It also accused the senate president of acquiring assets beyond his legitimate earnings while in office as governor and operating foreign accounts both at the time he served as governor and during his time in the senate .

The body claimed that offences violated sections of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended. In addition to that CCB alleged that the Senate President Saraki breached Section 2 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and punishable under paragraph 9 of the said Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

A deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation Mr Musiliu .S. Hassan, signed the charge. Dismissing the allegations however, Saraki in a statement from his office insisted that he has not breached any law either as a governor or currently as a senator. He described the allegations as a forum-shopping wondering why the CCB did not, before now, write him to complain of any breach of its laws.

The statement read in part “The attention of Dr. Bukola Saraki, President of the Senate, has been drawn to a charge sheet being widely circulated on the online media, upon which he is expected to be tried at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

“It should be noted that at the time of writing this statement (10.00am on September 16, 2015), Dr. Saraki has not been served the court process. However, we recognise that as a public officer, he owes members of the public explanation on the allegations contained in the charge sheet. We therefore state as follows: That all the claims contained in the charge sheet are false, incorrect and untrue.

“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. It is surprising that the alleged charges is now referring his asset declaration made in 2003 while in office as Governor of Kwara State to formulate their charges. 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 ought to have carried out their verification of the assets and ascertain the claims made and not wait till 12 years later to be pointing out an alleged inconsistencies in a document submitted to it in 2003.

“This is why we are of the opinion that present effort is a desperate move initiated due to external influence and interference. It should also be noted that contrary to the procedure indicated in the law setting up the CCB, the bureau never wrote to Dr. Saraki 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. That some of the issues contained in the charge sheet are subjects of earlier decided and on-going Court cases. We therefore believe those behind filing of these charges are engaging in forum-shopping.

“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”