The Code of Conduct Tribunal CCT, last week discharged and acquitted Senate President Bukola Saraki of the18- count charge of false assets declaration brought against him by the federal government in September, 2015. VIVIAN OKEJEME, samples opinions of stakeholders who expressed divergent views.
Justice has been served Yusuf Ali, SAN For me, the justice has been served. Saraki has undergone his trial and the tribunal Chairman ruled that he has no case to answer. Th e prosecution could not present enough evidence to proof their case. It is the closing of the chapter in the turbulence of politics and, I hope he will now at this point settle down and concentrate on his mandate as the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
CCT bold, right and courageous Human rights lawyer, Mike Ozokhome, SAN Th e Code of conduct tribunal headed by Mr. Danladi Umar was bold, courageous and right, in spite of visible executive interference and manipulation, to have discharged and acquitted Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on all the counts of false declaration of assets leveled against him. Where is EFCC, much-trumpeted media trial of cases, dramatic hype and conviction of suspects on the pages of newspapers and social media, leading the country to nowhere?
You have actually done more harm and damage to the so-called anti -corruption ‘war’ than all the vampires and barbaric, primitive accumulators of our national wealth and common patrimony joined together. Prosecution needs to up their game. Chief Onueze Okocha SAN Th is should be a signal to the federal government that it needs to get its acts together if it wants to seriously fi ght corruption. You must have suffi cient evidence, enough to establish a prima facie case before taking a case to court; otherwise, you will make a mess of the anti-corruption fi ght. For a case to terminate at the stage of no-case submission, as we have seen in the case of Ademola and now in the case of Saraki, it shows that the prosecution needs to up its game.
Th is has happened before. Prosecution won cases on the pages of newspaper Nnamdi Nwaeke Esq. Th is development is quite appalling. Look at the pace with which the federal government are losing the so-called anticorruption high profi le cases. Orubebe has been cleared, Justice Adeniyi Ademola is also cleared and now, Senator Bukola Saraki is also cleared of all the 18-count charge of false assets declaration. Th ese could only mean that the prosecution does not gather enough evidence to prove their case. Th ey hurriedly take a matter to court and conduct a media trial and won cases on the pages of newspaper in a bid to impress the public to believe the present administration anti-corruption fi ght is on course. We lawyers should learn from these judgements. One has to get his or her acts right before heading to court.
No water-tight evidence against Saraki Charles Ajagumanando Esq. Th e judgement discharging and acquitting the Senate President Bukola Saraki will stand the test of times because the prosecution gave rooms for loopholes. In criminal prosecution, once there is an iota of doubt in the evidence linking an accused to the commission of a crime, the court is bound to lean on the side of an accused person. In the case against the Senate President, the prosecution does not have water-tight evidence against him. Shoddy Investigation Bala Abuduma In criminal prosecution, it is always diffi cult for the prosecution to prove its case. Th at may have accounted for the loss anti-graft agencies have recorded in most of their cases against persons accused of corruption in recent times.
From that judgement discharging and acquitting Saraki, it was clear that shoddy investigation was done before he was arraigned at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT. Criminal prosecution starts from investigation of an accused person. Once the investigation is not tidy or it is shoddy, an accused person is likely to go free and that was what happen in Saraki’s case. So, the prosecution should not cry blue-murder. Operatives of anti-graft agencies need training, re-training Israel Angosa Th ough, I’ve not yet read the full judgement, but from the little I’ve had the opportunity of seeing, the judgement of the tribunal will stand at the appeal court. Even, non lawyers will know that the prosecution bungled the case.
If the prosecution will be fair in this matter and tell themselves the truth, they know that their investigation was not thorough. It is not enough to engage in media trial. Criminal prosecution is much more than that. Th e unfortunate thing about these things for the judiciary is that the common man out there does not know that the court base their judgement on the facts placed before it.
Th e next thing after an accused gets favorable judgement is that money has exchanged hands. Th e truth is that it is not always the case. Federal government should appeal the judgement. Olubunmi Simijaiye For me the prosecution has enough evidence that will warrant the defendant to defend himself. Th e prosecution presented 48 exhibits for crying out loud. What it means is that the entire 48 exhibit did not link Saraki to the crime brought against him. Th e federal government should take this matter to the Appeal to determine if the decision of the tribunal will subsist. Saraki’s acquittal was to rubbish anti corruption fi ght Benjamin Omeka Agui Esq.
Th e Code of Conduct Tribunal Wednesday’s trial was to rubbish the present administration’s anti corruption fi ght. He described the trial as politicized where justice was off ered on the altar of politic. What do you expect, this is not nice. Every right thinking person knows that the acquittal has political undertone. Th is is a kangaroo verdict but, we must never give up on the fi ght against corruption. Umar Danladi should have asked the defence to enter their defence to counter whatever evidence presented by the prosecution.
