FG presents Saraki’s statement before CCT

The Federal Government presented before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja a statement made by the Senate President, Dr. 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.
However, Agabi had said he needed to cross-examine Wetkas on the petitions in order to challenge the contents and because they were tendered through the witness.
Wetkas, in response to wide-ranging  questions relating to the petitions in the course of the cross-examination, insisted that the allegations contained in the petitions were not the basis of the investigation which his team conducted leading to the charges of false asset declaration preferred against Saraki.
Wetkas confirmed under cross-examination that the petitions were written about one year after Saraki left office as Governor of Kwara State in 2011.