The Supreme Court on Friday has dismissed the trial of Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki on declaration of asset and sundry charges instituted against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The Apex court’s five man-panel led by Justice Dattijo Muhammad upheld Saraki’s appeal and dismissed the remaining three counts, throwing out the prosecution’s evidence.
In June last year, the CCT had also dismissed the entire 18 counts preferred against the Senate President and terminated the trial.
The CCT said the prosecution’s whole evidence was based on hearsay and not facts. The prosecution had presented four witnesses and 49 exhibits.
But in December, 2017, in an appeal by the federal government, the appeal court restored three out of the dismissed 18 counts and ordered Saraki to return to the CCT to defend the three charges. ]
Saraki appealed to the Supreme Court against the charges restoring the three counts while the Federal Government also appealed the dismissal of the remaining counts.
The supreme court has now dismissed the judgement of the appeal court and upheld Saraki’s appeal. According to Justice Nweke, the Supreme Court were wrong to have restored three out of the 18 counts, when it agreed that the evidence presented by the prosecution were hearsay.
Justice Nweze quoted the part of the Appeal Court pronouncement that said: “the prosecution failed to call those who have direct knowledge of the facts sought to be proved, to testify”
