Officers reveal why Saraki’s CCT trial was adjourned

The Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, has deferred the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki till September.

Saraki is currently standing trial before the tribunal on a 16-count charge bordering on false and anticipatory assets declaration when he was the Governor of Kwara State.

Chairman of the tribunal, Danladi Umar, had adjourned the matter till today to rule on a motion filed by the legal team of the Senate President seeking Umar’s disqualification from the trial on the basis of bias.

However, in a statement by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr Ibraheem Al-hassan, the adjournment was due to the judicial recess and an ongoing meeting between the officials of the tribunal and some foreign stakeholders on the development of the Code of Ethics and Practice Directions for the CCT.

According to Al-hassan, all matters slated for this week and the following months were adjourned till September, though no date has been fixed.

The statement reads, “The Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal, Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar, on Tuesday, adjourned all sittings scheduled for this week and those to come within July and August till after the resumption from recess to be embarked upon by the tribunal’s judges soon.

“The decision was taken due to the ongoing Roundtable Discussion involving CCT and other critical stakeholders within and outside the country to develop the Code of Ethics and Practice Directions for the Code of Conduct Tribunal to ensure fair and speedy trials, sponsored by the European Union and implemented by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

He, however, assured that litigants currently with cases before the court, would have their new dates shortly after the vacation, September, 2016, which would be communicated to them, appropriately.

He said, ”The Tribunal regrets the pains caused by the sudden change.”