Alleged false assets declaration: My victory calls for celebration -Saraki

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday has declared that his victory at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja over alleged cases of false declaration of assets calls for celebration.

He said the conclusion of the trial which started in 2015 in his favour had renewed his faith and restored hope in the judicial system of the country. 

Making the declaration in a statement he personally signed, the Senate President said he had been vindicated in his position that he was not guilty of the charges against him.

Earlier on Wednesday, Saraki was discharged and acquitted of the charges of false asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, against him.

Giving the verdict, the chairman of the tribunal probing him, Danladi Umar, said the prosecution did not prove its case against Saraki.

According to him, the testimonies of the four witnesses presented were unreliable as they had been discredited.

The statement issued by the Senate President after the verdict reads in full:

“Today, June 14, 2017, the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting in Abuja discharged and acquitted me on a case of false declaration of assets, which started in September 2015.

“You would recall that at the beginning of the trial, I maintained that I will clear my name. The conclusion of this trial has vindicated my position. With the outcome of this case, our faith is renewed in our courts and our hope is restored that the judiciary in our country could indeed provide sanctuary for all those who seek justice.

“I thank the Almighty Allah, the ultimate Judge and the repository of all powers. He alone has brought about this victory. I am immensely grateful to all my colleagues in the National Assembly for their abiding support. All through my trial, they demonstrated their strong conviction about the choice we all decided to make two years ago. I thank members of my family for their unflinching support. I thank all friends and supporters back home in Kwara State and across the length and breadth of our country for their prayers and their sacrifices. My gratitude also goes to all members of my legal team for their tireless efforts to ensure the cause of justice is served.

“After undergoing the crucible of a tortuous trial, my vindication today calls for celebration.  It is my belief however that if there should be any celebration at all, it should be a celebration of the hopes that this judgment gives us as citizens that despite all the challenges that we face as a country, we are well on our way to building a country where the innocent needs not be afraid. I therefore urge all my supporters to refrain from any unbridled triumphalism. The challenges that our country faces today are enormous and do not allow for wanton celebration. Instead, we should all reflect on the significance of this moment and what it meant for our democracy.

“On a personal note, I harbour no grudge against anyone, regardless of the role they might have played in the persecution that I had endured in the last two years. I believe that If my trial had in anyway given hope to the common man that no matter the forces arraigned against him, he can still get justice in our courts, then my tribulation had not been in vain.

“Once again, I thank my colleagues in the 8th Senate for standing firm. Regardless of the distraction of my trial, we have achieved more as legislators than the previous Senates. Now that this distraction is over, we can even achieve so much more. We must now proceed from here with greater vigour to deliver on the expectations of Nigerians and show that this 8th Senate can indeed play a central role in improving the quality of lives of our people.

“Lastly, I thank all the gentlemen of the press for your abiding interest in this case, which I believe had contributed in no small measure in ensuring that truth and reason ultimately prevailed.”