Code of Conduct Bureau warns ministers, service chiefs others

By Adetutu Folasade-Koyi

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has directed ministers, service chiefs, government officials and civil servants to declare their assets, in compliance with paragraph 11 of part 1 of the 5th schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) or risk prosecution at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
CCB chairman, Sam Saba, commended civil servants who declared their assets within the time frame set by the bureau but reiterated that the bureau will go round the country to verify assets already declared by public officials.

“Pursuant to paragraph 11 of part 1 of the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), every public officer is required to submit to the CCB a written declaration of all his properties, assets and liabilities and those of his/her spouse (if not a public officer) and his unmarried children under the age of 18 years,” he said in a statement.

“Any statement in such declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorised in that behalf to verify it shall be deemed to be a breach of this code.
“To this end, the Bureau has commenced its 2016 fourth Quarter Cycle of conference and field verifications of assets of top public officers.

“Accordingly, letters of invitation have been dispatched to ministers of, service chiefs and other top public officers.

“This exercise is ongoing and is being carried out concurrently at the federal, state and local government levels.

“At a satisfactory completion of the exercise, public officers are issued with certificate of assets conference verification/field verification as the case maybe.
“CCB however, commends those public officers, who honoured its invitations promptly and submitted themselves for the exercise.”

On September 22, 2015, the Federal Government, based on a recommendation by the CCB, docked Senate President, Bukola Saraki, before the CCT in Abuja, on a 13-count criminal charge that bordered on corruption, false declaration of assets, and illegal operation of a foreign bank account while in office as a public servant. Saraki pleaded not guilty to the charge marked ABT/01/15, which the Federal Ministry of Justice preferred against him.

In the charge sheet, which was signed by a deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. M. S. Hassan, the Senate President was alleged to have manipulated the assets declaration forms he submitted before the CCB in 2003, 2007 and 2011, by making anticipatory declaration of assets.

Recently, the CCT convicted former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe for false declaration of assets.

He has since gone to the Court of Appeal challenging the ruling..