Nigerian FG seeks adjournment of Saraki’s trial

Proceedings in the trial of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, were stalled on Wednesday following the request by the prosecution for an adjournment of the case.

The Federal Government is prosecuting Saraki on 16 counts, including false and anticipatory asset declaration in his asset declaration forms which he submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau between 2003 and 2011 when he served as Governor of Kwara State.

The lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), asked for an adjournment of the trial because of the need for the prosecution witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, who is still under cross-examination by the defence, to testify in the ongoing trial of a former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido.

It was learnt that Wetkas’ testimony in Lamido’s case before Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja, had been deferred several times due to his continued absence in the trial.

‎The last time the trial was adjourned on May 25. Wetkas had already been cross-examined by three different defence lawyers for 10 days, a development which had disrupted the expectation that the witness would conclude his testimony quickly in Saraki’s case and switch to Lamido’s trial.

Punch news reported that Jacobs sent a letter to the regis‎try of the tribunal on Wednesday morning requesting the adjournment and applying that further trial dates in the case be fixed for June 7, 8 and 9.

However, as of the time of filing this report on Wednesday no new date had been fixed for the trial.

Punch gathered that the Danladi Umar-led tribunal had yet to decide on a new date.