No Reprieve as Appeal Court Strikes Out Saraki’s Case for Stay of Proceedings

No Reprieve as Appeal Court Strikes Out Saraki’s Case for Stay of Proceedings

saraki1The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Monday struck out an application brought by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, asking the CCT to stay proceedings pending determination of his appeal.

The three-man panel of justices of the Appellate Court led by Justice Abdul Aboki, struck out the motion following an oral application for withdrawal of the motion moved by Saraki’s lawyer, Mr Kanu Agabi (SAN).

Agabi, who did not give reasons for his action, prayed the court for accelerated hearing of the second leg of the appeal he filed challenging the competence of the charge at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Saraki instituted the appeal, asking for the court to grant him a stay of proceedings at the tribunal pending hearing and determination of his appeal.

When the case was called for hearing, Agabi announced that he was withdrawing it and apologized to the court for making the justices go through the voluminous processes he had filed.

Aboki said the adjourned date would be communicated to parties as soon as all court processes had been filed and exchanged by the parties.

In the main appeal Saraki is challenging his trial at the tribunal on the grounds that due process was not followed before the 13-count charge was preferred against him.

He is also contending that he was not invited by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to make a statement on the alleged discrepancies in the asset forms he submitted to the CCB as required by law before he was charged to court