Saraki
The Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, on Thursday rejected the motion filed by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, querying his (Umar) integrity.
The Senate president in the motion urged the CCT chairman to disqualify himself from further presiding over the asset falsification trial.
Umar described the motion filed for Saraki’s lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, as “rubbish, unmeritorious and a distraction.”
He described the lawyer as a busy-body and a stranger to proceedings before the court.
Saraki filed the motion on Wednesday, questioning Umar’s integrity and demanding that he withdraw from the trial.
He claimed that Umar was being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), saying he was likely to be manipulated by the EFCC to arrive at a decision favourable for the prosecution.
At the commencement of proceedings, Adebayo Adelodun (SAN) who led the defence team, yielded ground for Oluyede to introduce his motion.
Oluyede said the motion contained reliefs, including an order asking Umar to disqualify himself from further presiding over the case on the ground that he was being investigated for bribery.
Lead prosecution lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), interjected and said the application had not received the approval of the lead defence lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), who was initially absent at the proceedings.
Jacobs noted that Oluyede was not yet a lawyer in the case, because when he (Oluyede) filed the motion on Wednesday, he was yet to be recognised as a member of the defence team.
At that point, the tribunal chairman intervened.
He passed a copy of the EFCC letter absolving him of the bribery allegation, on which Oluyede’ motion was predicated.
Umar noted that Oluyede had filed similar application before the Federal High Court, Abuja, in a fundamental rights suit, which Justice Adamu Abdu Kafarati dismissed last Friday as being unmeritorious and constituting an abuse of court’s process.
“As far as this tribunal is concerned, this application (motion) has not been filed. It is rubbish and it is hereby thrown out,” Umar declared.
He directed Oluyede to sit down to enable the tribunal proceeds with the business of the day, which was the continuation of the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness, Michael Wetkas.
Oluyede ignored Umar’s directive, insisting that he will proceed with his motion. He accused Umar of having “too many cloudy relationships with the EFCC,” adding that “This is part of the reasons we asked you to excuse yourself.”
Umar interrupted him, threatening to commit the lawyer to prison should he persist to insult the tribunal.
When Oluyede refused to sit down, but made attempt to proceed with his argument, Umar ordered the police orderlies in court to take him (the lawyer) away.
The policemen were reluctant to carry out Umar’ directive, following which Jacob intervened and appealed for calm.
Jacobs urged Umar to be patient, noting that the EFCC had since March 15 cleared him of the allegations.
“My lord be patient, we will handle the application as we effectively did at the Federal High Court. We will expose the frivolity of the application even to the person who filed it,” Jacobs said.
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