An official of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Samuel Madojemu, insisted on Wednesday that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, failed to declare a London property which he acquired through mortgage in 2010.
Madojemu, who is the Head, Intelligence Unit of the CCB, is the third prosecution witness in the Senate President’s ongoing trial on 16 charges of false asset declaration and breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.
The trial is ongoing before the Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja.
In count 14 of the charges, the defendant was accused of giving an instruction to his banker, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, in 2010, to transfer £1,516,000 within two days to Fortis Bank in London for mortgage redemption.
The defendant was said to have failed to declare the London mortgage and the property he acquired through it.
Under cross-examination by the defence lawyer, Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN), Madojemu had identified a property at 70 Bourne Street, South-West London valued at $4,800,000 which Saraki had declared that he acquired through the proceeds of the sales of rice and sugar/loan in January 2002.
But under re-examination by the lead prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), on Wednesday, Madojemu said the London property, which Saraki declared that he acquired in 2002, was not the one he acquired through mortgage in 2010.
The witness said, “It was not stated that there was London property. He also did not declare any mortgage from 2002 to2011.”
Madojemu also said Saraki failed to declare a card with debit of $3.4m.
When asked if a declarant was expected to declare a card and properties acquired through his companies, Madojemu said, “If you look at Exhibit 2, you will see the note on asset declaration form.
“In paragraph 3, it was stated that every declarant is required by law to declare his assets and liabilities including that of his spouse or spouses who are not public officers and those of children under18 years of age, honestly, sincerely and submit same to the bureau within 90 days of receipt.
“I also want to refer you to the page 3 of the form (under buildings).
“Your lordship will see under the column ‘Car acquired/source’. What I had said was that these are instructions for a declarant to declare his assets and liablities.
“If you have a bank loan, credit or any card of card or asset of your nominees or your spouse and children under 18years they are going to be declared and you have to declare the date of acquisition.
“Your lordship, let me go back to page 2 of the form, which is about ‘Cash in Nigerian banks’. You will see ‘Source of money,’ which means if you have a credit card or loan you are going to state it there.
“If you go to columns on ‘Building’, you are going to declare there whether your building was acquired through a nominee or any form it was acquired.”
Source – Punch
