The Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, will on Friday (tomorrow) arraign the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on a 13- count charge bordering on alleged corruption and false declaration of assets at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.
The 13-count charge against Saraki, The Herald gathered was filed before the tribunal by the Code of Conduct Bureau through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Saraki was, in the charge sheet before the CCT, marked ABT/01/15 and dated September 11, 2015, alleged to have falsely declared his assets contrary to constitutional requirements.
Count one of the 13-count charge reads: “That you, Dr. Bukola Saraki, while being the executive governor of Kwara State on or about 16th September, 2003 within the jurisdiction of this tribunal, did make a false declaration in assets declaration form for public officers on assumption of office as governor of Kwara State by making an anticipatory asset declaration in that you claimed to have owned and acquired No. 15A and N0. 15B, McDonald Ikoyi, Lagos, through your company, Carlisle Properties Limited in 2006 when the said property was in actual fact sold by the Implementation Committee on Federal Government landed property in 2006 to your companies, Tiny Tee Limited and Vitti Oil Limited for the aggregate sum of N396,150, 000 and you hereby committed an offence under Section 15 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap C15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 and incorporated under paragraph 11(1) and (2) of Part 1, 5th schedule to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and punishable under Section 23(2) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and incorporated under paragraph 18 of part 1, 5th schedule to the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
According to the charge sheet, Saraki was also accused of operating an American Express credit card account during his tenure as governor, where he allegedly wired at least $3.4 million from a Nigerian account. The law bars public officers from operating foreign bank accounts while in service.
Specifically, he was accused of deliberately manipulating the assets declaration form that he filed prior to his assumption of office as the Senate President, by making anticipatory declaration of assets.
Saraki, who has been in the Senate since 2011, was in the charge sheet signed by a deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. M.S. Hassan, equally accused of failing to declare some assets he acquired while in office as governor.
Besides, he is expected to explain before the CCT, how he acquired some assets which the Federal Government believes were beyond his legitimate earnings.
Other charges against him include an allegation that he owned and operated foreign bank accounts while serving as a public officer.
His actions were classified as a gross violation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.
More so, Saraki, in the charge sheet, which was transferred to the tribunal by the CCB on Tuesday, was accused of breaching Section 2 of the CCB and Tribunal Act, an offence punishable under Section 23(2) of the Act and paragraph 9 of the said Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The CCB alleged that Saraki claimed that he owned and acquired No 15A and 15B McDonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, through his company, Carlisle Properties Limited in 2000, when the said property was actually sold by the Implementation Committee of the Federal Government landed properties in 2006 to his companies, Tiny Tee Limited and Vitti Oil Limited for the aggregate sum of N396, 150, 000. 00.
He was alleged to have made false declaration on or about June 3, 2011, by refusing to declare plot 2A Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, which he acquired between 2007 and 2008 through his company from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for a total sum of N325, 000, 000. 00.
Similarly, Saraki was said to have refused to declare No1, Tagnus Street, Maitama, Abuja, which he claimed to have acquired in November 1996 from one David Baba Akawu.
Some of his alleged offences while in office as governor, which are said to be punishable under Section 15(1) and (2) of the CCB and Tribunal Act, Cap C15, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, were allegedly committed between October 2006 and May 2007.
Meanwhile,the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is said to have concluded plans to also drag his wife, Toyin, to court over alleged complicity in shady contract deals during Saraki’s tenure as governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.