SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, (THEWILL) – Special Assistant to President Muhhamadu Buhari on prosecutions, Okoi Obono-Obla, has revealed that the federal government will appeal the acquittal of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
He told PUNCH on Saturday that the government would file a notice of appeal against the CCT’s ruling on Saraki by Wednesday.
THEWILL recalls that Saraki had been arraigned on an 18-count charge bordering on false asset declaration but the two-man panel of the CCT led by Danladi Umar, its Chairman, last Wednesday, upheld a no-case submission by Saraki.
Obono-Obla argued that the panel “misapplied” the law in the ruling adding that the government will also appeal all the “nonsensical” court rulings in various high-profile corruption cases.
“Definitely we are going to appeal against the ruling in Saraki’ s case,” he declared.
“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 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 because government was determined to clean up Nigeria and will fight this war to the end.
“We must, 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.”
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