Senate President Bukola Saraki is to face trial in a 13-count charge bordering on false declaration of assets while he was the governor of Kwara State. The charge sheet marked CCT/ABJ/01/15 and dated September 11 was signed by the Deputy Director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, M.S Hassan.
Saraki is only party in the suit filed by the Federal Government before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). But Saraki said that though he has not been served with the court processes, the charge sheet upon which the CCT wants to prosecute him, were outright fabrications and malicious allegations designed by some detractors to discredit him for political reasons.
In the charge, Saraki was alleged to have made false declaration in the Assets Declaration Form for Public Officers on assumption of office as Governor of Kwara State in 2003 by making anticipatory declaration of a property, No 15A and 15B McDonald, Ikoyi Lagos, when in actual fact the property was sold to him in 2006 in the sum of N396, 150, 000 by the Implementation Committee on the Federal Government Landed Properties.
Saraki was also alleged to have, between October 2006 and May 2007, while he was governor, acquired a property from the Federal Government in the sum of N497, 200, 000; a sum which is not fairly attributable to his income, gift or loan approved by the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and which he wrongly claimed to have acquired from proceeds of sale of rice and sugar commodities.
In the charge, Saraki was said to have committed the offences under Section 15 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap. C15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and as incorporated under paragraphs 11(1) and (2) of Part I, Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and punishable under Section 23 (2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and as incorporated under paragraph 18 of Part I, Fifth Schedule to Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
In addition, Saraki was alleged to have, on June 3, 2011, made a false declaration in the Assets Declaration Form for Public Officers at the end of his tenure as Governor of Kwara State in 2011 by refusing to declare Plot 2A, Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos which he acquired between 2007 and 2008 through his company, Carlisle Properties Limited from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for N325 million. Saraki was also alleged to be operating a foreign bank account while he was th
