Then, finally, on Wednesday, June 14, the two-man panel of the CCT led by Danladi Umar unanimously upheld Saraki’s no-case submission, holding that the evidence led by the prosecution was discredited under cross-examination and therefore unreliable.
The CCT held that no reasonable tribunal would convict a defendant on the evidence led by the prosecution through its four witnesses.
Elombah.com had on June 08, 2017 reported that the Federal Government asked the Code of Conduct Tribunal to dismiss the no-case submission filed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to fault the evidence led by the prosecution in relation to the 16 charges of false declaration and other related offences preferred against him.
The Senate President, through his no-case submission filed before the CCT on May 26, contended that none of the exhibits tendered and no evidence given by the four prosecution witnesses linked him to the alleged offences to warrant him to defend the charges.
But arguing the Federal Government’s objection to the no-case submission on Thursday, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), said there was “serious prima facie case” against the Senate President.
Chairman of the CCT, Danladi Umar, after hearing both the defence and the prosecution on Thursday set today, 14th June for ruling and eventually dismissed the case.
Observers have not veiled their surprise over the outcome considering the tough stance of Justice Umar during the 21-months trial.
One of them is our correspondent, Mr Ogbuefi of Ogbuefi Blogs.
“I still don’t believe it happened so fast,” he said to Elombah.com. “After all those bravado by the CCT chairman, then suddenly the case gone in a snap of a finger!
“A lot of waters we may never fathom out must have passed under the bridge,” he added.
READ ALSO: Tribunal dismisses all 18 charges against Saraki
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