OrderPaperToday– Temporary reprieve has come the way of Senate President Bukola Saraki as the Supreme Court today ordered a stay of proceedings in his ongoing trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on allegations of false asset declaration.
The Federal Government instituted a case of false assets declaration against Senator Saraki but the senate president has mounted a challenge on the competence and jurisdiction of the tribunal to try him. The challenge was dismissed by the Appeal Court which ordered the senator to face trial but he brought an appeal to the apex court.
The court has ruled that the CCT trial be put on hold pending the hearing and determination of Saraki’s substantive appeal before it.
At the hearing of his application for stay of proceedings, counsel to the Federal government, Rotimi Jacobs, who had earlier objected to the application for stay, made a dramatic turnaround in telling the court that he will sign an undertaking to not proceed with anything with regard to the case at the CCT.
He told the panel of five Justices led by John Fabiyi that nothing on the side of the prosecution will be done to prejudice the apex court.
To ensure speedy hearing of the substantive appeal, the prosecution informed the court that he would file his brief of argument against Senator Saraki’s substantive appeal on Monday and urged the court to compel the appellant to also file his own brief of argument within two days so that an early date could be fixed for hearing of the matter.
