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The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption, PACAC, Itse Sagay, has expressed shock at the acquittal of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the CCT on Wednesday cleared Saraki of false asset declaration charges brought against him by the federal government. The tribunal chairman, Danladi Umar, ruled that the prosecution failed to establish prima facie case against Saraki, thereby upholding a no-case submission made by the defendant’s counsel, Kanu Agabi.
Sagay spoke in an interview with Premium Times on Wednesday. According to him: “I was shocked myself by the ruling. The amount of evidence amassed against him (Saraki) was considerable; so, I am surprised it was said no prima facie had been made against him. It’s shocking that’s all I can say.”
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the federal government arraigned Saraki before the CCT in September 2015.
To prove his innocence of the charges, Saraki exhausted all avenues, up to the Supreme Court, which, however, resulted in his favour on Wednesday.
“From the simple analysis of the evidence of the prosecution, we find it difficult to accept the seriousness of the witnesses. All the evidences were so discredited, unreliable that no reasonable court will attach probate value to them.
“Since the essential ingredients of all the charges were not proved as required by law, this tribunal has no option to discharge and acquit the defendant in view of the manifestly unreliable evidence of the prosecution witnesses,” said Umar, whom Saraki had several times accused of bias.
However, Sagay disagreed with Umar’s ruling.
In his words: “”If you look at this case, the prosecution was very organised. Evidence was brought out very clearly. In fact, I would say mountains of evidence. So, nobody can blame poor prosecution in this case. So, what is the problem? A Nigerian factor? We don’t know,” said. Mr. Sagay.
Speaking further, Sagay said the whole anti-corruption structure should be reexamined. He also dismissed popular insinuations that Saraki’s trial at the CCT was politically motivated in the first place.
“It is a thing that will be under a very serious review to assess the whole anti-corruption fight; to see who is for it; who is subverting it.”
“What I say is this: do not commit a crime so that no one will politically motivate your trial. Be clean. Who can come after me now politically? Nobody can charge me politically no matter how politically motivated he is against me, because I have nothing.”
Asked to advise the government on what next to do, Mr. Sagay said: “obviously it (Saraki’s acquittal) has to be appealed against for the sake of the judicial system. The whole thing sounds incredible.”