Saraki Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ To Fresh Corruption Charges
Bukola Saraki, Senate President[/caption]
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday pleaded not guilty to the amended 18-count corruption charge leveled against him by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government had filed the fresh charges against the Senate President who is standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.
In the new charges, the Senate President is accused of making false declaration, when he declared that he purchased a property at number 15A Macdonald Street Ikoyi, Lagos through his company Carlisle Properties Limited in 2003, but the said property was actually sold to G and C Real Estates Properties and Investment Company limited for 12million Naira.
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He is also accused of making false declaration that he acquired the properties through sales of agricultural commodities, when it was purchased using a loan from a commercial bank.
Saraki was also accused of failing to declare his ownership of Plot 2A Glover Road, Ikoyi Lagos, which he acquired between 2007 and 2008 through Carlisle Properties Ltd from the Central Bank of Nigeria for the sum of N325million, as well as not declaring that No 1 and 3 Tagus Street Maitama, Abuja belongs to him.
The prosecution told the tribunal that as a governor, Saraki, in 2008, transferred the sum of $73, 223. 28 to a bank account he operated outside Nigeria.
He was also accused of failing to declare his interest in an American Express Bank, New York card No. 374588216836009 through which he transferred $3.4million between August 2009 and October 2012 from his GTB domiciliary account No 441441953210 to the American Express Services Europe Ltd No. 730580 for onward credit to the said card account, in his second tenure as Kwara State governor.
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A witness led in by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, told the tribunal that Saraki, while he was governor, made several cash lodgements running into billions of Naira into his personal accounts.
He said the cash l were in excess of Saraki’s salary as a governor.
Asked if public officers are permitted by the law to operate private business ventures, the witness said:
“My lord, public officers are only entitled to engage in farming. Governors are not permitted to engage in sales of Rice and Sugar”.
