The Supreme Court in Nigeria on Friday discharged Senate President Bukola Saraki of the remaining three charges against him in the case of false declaration of assets.
The federal government instituted the charges against Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Concise News gathered that the apex court upheld Saraki’s appeal in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Centus Nweze.
Justice Nweze’s ruling was unanimously backed by the four other panellists of the court.
Saraki, former governor of Kwara state, had filed an appeal at the apex court to challenge the ruling of the Court of Appeal which asked the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to try him on three of the 18 counts brought against him by the EFCC.
To this end, the apex court fixed Friday, July 6, to deliver its ruling, after hearing the appeal and cross-appeal filed by the Senate President and the EFCC over the allegations of false asset declaration.
The Supreme Court, in the main appeal, vacated the judgment of the appeal court which held that Saraki had questions to answer with regards to charges 4, 5 and 6 in an 18-count of non-declaration of assets and money laundering before the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
According to the Supreme Court, since the lower court held that the prosecution failed to call those who had direct knowledge about the fact and then turn around to rely on parts of it to reach its position, hearsay evidence cannot be used as proof to establish a prima facie case on three out of the 18 counts.
