DOWNLOAD Court dismisses suit seeking to stop Saraki’s CCT trial (zip/mp3)
A Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja on Wednesday struck out a go well with difficult the validity of the trial of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on prices of breach of code of conduct for public officers and asset declaration breaches most popular in opposition to him earlier than the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole struck out the swimsuit following an oral software by a lawyer from the Workplace of the Lawyer Common of the Federation, Mrs. H. M. Eken.
When the case was referred to as on Wednesday, Eken famous that the plaintiff, Timipa Jenkins Okponipere, who filed the swimsuit on behalf of the Senate President, was absent from court docket.
The lawyer argued that the applicant’s absence from courtroom implied lack of diligence on his half to prosecute the case.
She urged the court docket not solely to strike out the swimsuit, however to additionally award N20,000 price in opposition to the applicant.
In his ruling, Justice Kolawole famous that on the earlier adjourned date of September 29, 2016 neither the applicant nor the 2 respondents had been in courtroom.
He famous that though the listening to notices ordered by the courtroom weren’t served on events, the truth that the 2nd respondent was in courtroom confirmed extra diligence on the AGF’s half.
The choose relied on the provisions of Order 19 Rule 15 of the court docket’s Civil Process Guidelines, to strike out the go well with.
However he declined to award any value towards the applicant on the grounds that there was no proof that listening to discover was served on the applicant.
The applicant, who claimed to be “suing as legal professional to Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki,” listed the CCT and the AGF as respondents within the go well with, through which he sought amongst others, to restrain the respondents from continuing with Saraki’s trial.
Okponipere had prayed the court docket’s declaration that “the plan to renew the trial of Senator Abubakar Saraki on the CCT is a breach of his basic proper to truthful listening to as assured by Part 36(1) of the 1999 Structure (as amended).
He additionally prayed for an order compelling the CCT and AGF to droop indefinitely, any plan to renew the trial on the CCT.
Among the many grounds relied on by the applicant, embrace that the trial at CCT was commenced on the fallacious time, 4 years after Saraki allegedly dedicated the offences.
“It’s no one’s fault that the first and 2nd respondents weren’t vigilant sufficient to cease or stop Senator Saraki from attaining public workplace. If really the respondents have been proactive establishments of presidency, they should have prosecuted Senator Saraki instantly after he left workplace as Governor of Kwara State in 2011, however they by no means did.
“The failure, refusal and/or negligence of the respondents to prosecute Senator Saraki for the offences he allegedly dedicated between 2003 and 2011 earlier than he returned once more to public life as a senator, vitiated all his previous alleged misdeeds such that, as of June eight, 2015 when he was inaugurated as a senator, he was assumed to be a public workplace holder with out blemish within the eyes of the regulation and within the eyes of the respondents, in any other case they’d have lengthy since initiated proceedings in opposition to him.
“The next try to put Senator Saraki on trial over offences allegedly dedicated between 2003 and 2011 should not solely tainted with political mischief and desperation, they represent a breach of his elementary proper to truthful listening to,” Okponipere stated.
Nonetheless, in a discover of preliminary objection, filed on behalf of the AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami, the prosecution faulted the swimsuit and urged the courtroom to dismiss it for missing in benefit.
The AGF famous that the subject material of the go well with didn’t fall throughout the provisions of chapter 4 of the Structure, containing the assured basic human rights.
He argued, “The appellant lacks the locus to institute this swimsuit on behalf of Senator Saraki within the absence of any authorized foundation which prevents him (Saraki) from deposing to the affidavit accompanying this software himself.”
“The grant of the applicant’s reliefs will represent an abuse of cou
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