Just In: Saraki snubs CCT Trial again (update)

Counsel to Saraki A. O Adelodun

Senate President Bukola Saraki has again failed to show up at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja as at 11:40 on Monday, September 21.
 
Saraki was expected to take a simple plea of guilty or not guilty on a 13-count charge of fake declaration of assets.
The court room is already full to the edge, with many loyalties of the Senate president, legislators and reporters.
Entrances to the CCT premises are cordoned off, with several individuals, comprising personnel, journalists and politicians allowed entry after thorough scrutiny.
Men of the regular police, riot police and others in the Force bomb disposal unit are providing security at the tribunal.

Counsel to FG

 The court has taken a break and will reconvene in the next one hour to rule on the propriety of Saraki’s non-appearance in court.

UPDATE: The tribunal has charged the inspector general of police and other security agencies to arrest Saraki and bring him to court tomorrow by 10am.

The court in session.

The tribunal gave out a bench warrant against Saraki on September 18, Friday, ordering the police to arrest him and bring him to trial on Monday.
However, the police said that did not get any warrant to effect the arrest and Senate president himself tweeted he was not covering, to evade the prosecution.
Saraki reportedly plans to challenge the scheduled trial and the rationality of the arrest warrant, based on legal advice that an order obtained on Thursday night from the Federal High Court in Abuja, ought to have been enough to stop the tribunal to sit on Friday.
On his own part, President Muhammadu Buhari dismissed rumours saying that he didn’t know anything about Saraki’s trial.