The Special Assistant to the President on Prosecutions, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, has on Saturday revealed that Federal Government’s plans to appeal the decision made by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in the false asset declaration case involving the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Recall that the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, had on Wednesday discharged and acquitted the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, of charges of false asset declaration.
Speaking on the ruling, Obono-Obla vowed that the Nigerian Government will not let anyone get away with corruption.
In a telephone conversation with Punch, the Presidential aide on Prosecution noted that the government would file a notice of appeal against Saraki’s acquittal by Wednesday. The presidential aide, a member of the Attorney-General of the Federation’s office disclosed that the two-man panel of the CCT led by its Chairman, Danladi Umar were wrong in adopting the standard with which it used in exonerating Saraki.
He further added: “Definitely we are going to appeal against the ruling in Saraki’s case. One of our grounds of appeal is that the tribunal misapplied the law. For instance, the standard of proof that the tribunal used is not applicable to charges of false declaration of asset.
“It (charge of false asset declaration) is a strict liability offence, so you cannot apply the standard of proof that is applied in the regular criminal proceedings.
“Surely, we will file the appeal next (this) week Wednesday.”
Obono-Obla had however earlier deemed the ruling of the Code of Conduct Tribunal on the Saraki case “a travesty of justice, pedestrian and outrageous”.
Speaking on Saturday, he said: “We are resolute. We are going to fight this war to the end. We must clean up Nigeria, otherwise the nation is doomed. We have gone back to the drawing board to change our tactics and strategies.
“Anybody who thinks he can get away with an act of corruption is dreaming. We are going to file an appeal against all the nonsensical rulings that we have got from our court in recent times.”