As the case against the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, over alleged false declaration of assets took a different turn at the weekend, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase has assured that he would arrest the Senate President as directed by the law before Monday.
“We are going to promptly arrest the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and produce him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday. Since it is a bench warrant issued by a competent court, the order will be carried out without delay. We don’t want to pre-empt anything.”
This was disclosed by new Force PRO, Mrs. Olabisi Kolawole, in an interview with LEADERSHIP.
The Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting in Abuja, had on Friday, issued a bench warrant for Saraki’s arrest, for failing to appear in court over his ongoing trial for alleged false declaration of his assets. Prior to the issuance of the arrest warrant by the CCT, Saraki had approached a High Court which gave ruling faulting the process of his planned arraignment at the of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
The Tribunal ordered the Inspector General of Police to arrest and produce the Senate President before it on Monday. The Tribunal ruled that Saraki must be available to take plea in the 13-count charge slammed on him by the Federal Government over alleged false declaration of assets.
A deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. M.S. Hassan, applied for the arrest order following Saraki’s refusal to appear before the Tribunal to enter his plea.
It was stated that a Justice of the High Court lacked the powers to summon the CCT and CCB chairmen, even as it accused Saraki of engaging in “forum shopping” in a desperate bid to scuttle his trial.
The case against Saraki:
The 13-count charge accused him of making anticipatory declaration of assets, false declaration of assets and maintenance of foreign account contrary to the Third Schedule of the Constitution.
