Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of bringing up claims used against him in previous cases.
Mr Saraki’s lawyers, on Thursday, appeared before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, to oppose the application by the EFCC for the forfeiture of his Ilorin home allegedly funded partly with money provided by Kwara State Government in fulfilment of the Governor and Deputy Governor (Payment of Pension) Law 2010 of Kwara State.
They said the claims were the same made before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court between September 22, 2015, and July 6, 2018, when all the courts concluded and gave judgement respectively to the effect that there was no prima facie case established against Saraki.
“We will like, for emphasis, to state that the fictitious claims by EFCC of a certain amount being taken from government coffers and deposited by aides have no basis, is totally untrue and a fabricated lie,” a statement by Saraki’s spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu, read on Friday.
“The agency has not produced any oral or documentary evidence of approval, instruction or endorsement by Dr Saraki as proof of such act. These claims made newspaper headlines when they were first thrown into the public space by the same EFCC in September 2015 during the CCT trial and no evidence has been produced in support of such claim. They remain mere headline-grabbing stunt.
“We hereby assure the associates and supporters of Dr Saraki that he remains unflinching in his belief in the ability of the Nigerian judiciary to always do justice to all persons and at all times. We believe that justice shall prevail in this case, as well.”
