CCT Frees Saraki of False Asset Declaration Charges

By Dipo Olowookere

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has cleared the Senate President, Mr Bukola Saraki, of the false asset declaration charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

In the wake of his election as the Senate President in 2015, the former Governor of Kwara State was accused of lying about his assets while he governed the state.

His trial at the CCT was then viewed by some observers as pure political witch-hunt because he was never the choice of his party for the number three position in the country.

And Mr Saraki also made several efforts to frustrate the trial until he could not any longer. At a point, he went to court to stop the CCT Chairman, Justice Danladi Umar, from hearing the matter.

But at the hearing on Wednesday morning, Justice Umar declared that the FG has failed to prove charges of false asset declaration levelled against the Senate President.

He made this known while ruling on the no-case submission filed by Mr Saraki’s counsel.

The CCT Chairman said the prosecution did not sufficiently prove its case against the Senate President and therefore, discharged him of the charges.