As senate president Bukola Saraki and his well wishers jubilate over the
Code of conduct Tribunal dismissal of all the charges against him begins to
gain momentum, SaharaReporters yesterday came up with strong allegations that
the judgment to acquaint Bukola Saraki was bought with a fearful sum $2m and a
promise to ensure that Ibrahim Magu’s is not confirmed as chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The report from SaharReporters reads in part:
A source close to the CCT revealed to SaharaReporters how Mr. Saraki and
his lawyer, former Attorney General Kanu Agabi, had worked relentlessly since
Saraki hired him, with the objective of stopping the trial one way or another.
Some of the calculations were easy: Mr. Agabi had
formed a close relationship with Mr. Umar, whom he had hired out of Law School
years ago to work in his private legal practice following his tenure as
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF). Mr. Umar’s brother, Sambo Umar,
also worked with Mr. Agabi during his tenure as AGF.
At a first meeting facilitated former Governor of Bauchi state, Isa
Yuguda in Abuja, Mr. Saraki reportedly offered the CCT chairman the $2m to
acquit him of the false declaration charges he faced. But Mr. Saraki did not
speak the words, our source said. Instead, he showed the figure to Mr.
Umar typed on his phone, fearing that if he said the figure out loud he could
be recorded.
Mr. Saraki, who is a very wealthy man, can
conveniently afford such a sum, partly to wholesale rampaging over public funds
in which he has been involved, and which is at the heart of his trial.
But he may also have been strengthened by his recent
The entire deal, according to the source, was facilitated by former Bauchi
State Governor Isa Yuguda, a friend of Mr. Umar, but it also involved a top
police officer.
To sweeten the deal, the Senate president also offered to block the
confirmation of EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu. It would be recalled that in a
severe blow to the anti-corruption war, the Senate in March 2017 denied Mr.
Magu’s confirmation.
Mr. Umar agreed to help Mr. Saraki. He had succeeded in postponing the
hearing several times for over a year before suddenly calling Mr. Saraki’s
lawyers and prosecutors yesterday to tell them he would rule on the case.
SaharaReporters learned on Tuesday night that the decision would acquit
Mr. Saraki of all wrongdoing, and a source revealed that Mr. Saraki boasted to
his colleagues that the matter had been “settled.”
Mr. Saraki was then officially acquitted of all charges on Wednesday.
Ahead of the ruling being made, his Chief of Staff and his social media
handler, Bankole Omishore, then confidently went as far as to invite 10 youths
to have a celebratory dinner with Mr. Saraki today. That event is held tonight
with several of the youths abandoned to their fate after they ate at Saraki’s
residence.
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