November 12, 2015 – The Supreme Court, sitting in Abuja, today ordered the Code of Conduct Tribunal(CCT) to halt trial of President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, pending the determination of his appeal by the court.
Saraki is facing trial at the CCT on 13 count charge of false asset declaration. But failure of the CCT to accede to Saraki’s request to suspend the trial pending determination of his appeal at the Supreme Court, forced his lawyers, about 25 of them, all Senior Advocates of Nigeria(SAN) to walk out of the court.
Sarak had appealed to the Supreme Court seeeking an order staying further proceedings in Charge No: CCT/ABJ/01/2015 between Federal Republic of Nigeria vs Dr. Olubukola Abubakar Saraki fixed for hearing on November 5 and 6, 2015 pending the determination of the appeal pending before the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Court of Appeal dated October 30, 2015.”
Saraki also prayed the court to set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal, the entire proceedings of the CCT and the charges preferred against him before the tribunal by the Federal Government.
He contended that the appellate court panel led by Justice Moore Adumein, erred in law when it affirmed the competence of the proceedings of the CCT, which sat on the appellant’s case with only two members as against the three provided for in the provisions of Paragraph 15(1) of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Constitution.
In a unanimous decision read by Justice John Fabiyi, the court ordered the tribunal to tarry for a while.
