The Federal Government on Thursday tendered before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja a statement made by Senate President Bukola Saraki to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2013.
The prosecution, led by Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), tendered the statement in Saraki’s ongoing trial on 16 charges of false asset declaration and breach of Code of Conduct for Public Officers before the CCT.
The statement dated August 12, 2013, was tendered through a detective of the EFCC, Mr. Alvan Gurummaal, a witness subpoenaed for the sole purpose of producing the statement in court on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the prosecution had earlier tendered through its first witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, an operative of the EFCC, four separate petitions sent to the anti-graft agency against Saraki.
The petitions were admitted as Exhibits 10 to 13 by the tribunal.
The petitions, which were sent to the EFCC in May and June 2012, were authored by Kwara Freedom Network.
Wetkas had said he led the inter-agency team that investigated an intelligence report on the allegations leading to the charges instituted against Saraki before the tribunal.
But on April 19, 2016, Wetkas said under cross-examination by the lead defence counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), that the petitions had nothing to do with the charges instituted against Saraki before the CCT.
Wetkas confirmed that none of the petitions had to do with allegation of false asset declaration, which was the subject matter before the tribunal.
On Thursday, after tendering the August 12, 2013, statement, which Saraki made to the EFCC, Jacobs said his next witness was not available in court.
The prosecuting counsel added that the next witness, who is Saraki’s account officer at the Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, had informed him that he(the witness) would not be able to make it to the court because he would be undergoing a surgery.
He therefore sought an adjournment of the case.
After the third prosecuting counsel, Mr. Samuel Madojemu, an official of the Code of Conduct Bureau, completed his evidence on April 5, 2017, the case was slated for April 18, 2017.
But before the adjourned date, Jacobs sought further adjournment till April 25, 2017, and at his instance, the matter was again shifted till Thursday.
On Thursday, the tribunal chairman, Danladi Umar, agreed to the prosecuting counsel’s request to adjourn the case until May 4.
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