The Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja has dismissed the 18 charges of false asset declaration filed against the Senate President, Dr. Bulola Saraki.
The two-man panel of the CCT led by Danladi Umar unanimously upheld Saraki’s no-case submission, holding that the evidence led by the prosecution was discredited under cross-examination and therefore unreliable.
The CCT held that no reasonable tribunal would convict a defendant on the evidence led by the prosecution through its four witnesses.
The CCB had on September 16, 2015 filed a 13-count charge against Saraki for alleged false and anticipatory declaration of assets.
The charges were increased to 15 on April 18, 2016 and another charge was added on April 27, 2016 to make it 16.
The government later increased the charges to 17 on January 11, 2017 and finally to 18 on February 23, 2017.
The Danladi Umar-led two-man panel of the CCT had reserved its ruling after hearing Saraki’s no-case submission and the Federal Government’s objection to it on June 8.
The Senate President, through his no-case submission filed before the CCT on May 26, 2017, contended that none of the exhibits tendered and no evidence given by the four prosecution witnesses linked him to the alleged offences to warrant him to defend the charges.
