Hours after court granted a temporary forfeiture order on his houses in Ikoyi, the former Governor of Kwara State and immediate past Senate President of Nigeria, Bukola Saraki has reacted on the court ruling, saying the anti-graft agency misled court.
WITHIN NIGERIA had earlier reported that a federal high court sitting in Lagos has ordered the temporary forfeiture of two properties belonging to Bukola ,Saraki senate president of the 8th National assembly, at Ikoyi Lagos state following an ex-parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former Senate President disclosed that the court which granted a temporary forfeiture order on his houses in Ikoyi was misled.
Speaking through his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki disclosed that he was not aware of any application by the EFCC for any forfeiture order nor his lawyers.
He said a federal high court in Abuja had earlier given an order restraining the EFCC from taking action on the property, as it is a subject matter where the anti-graft agency and the ministry of justice were parties.
“We are sure the FHC judge in Lagos was not aware of all these facts and has therefore been misled into giving the temporary forfeiture order. The affected property, House Number 17 A and 17B, was specifically listed in the case against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal in which the EFCC was part of the prosecution and the case went up to the Supreme Court where the apex court in its July 6, 2018 judgement ruled in his favour,” he said in a statement.
“The Supreme Court has ruled that the source of funds for the purchase of the property was not illicit as claimed by the prosecution. On pages 12, 13 and 26 of the judgement of the highest court, this particular property on 17A McDonald Street, Ikoyi, was specifically referred to and the court upheld the no case submission of Dr. Saraki and therefore ruled in his favour.”
“We know that any action which tends to mislead the court amounts to misrepresentation and it is a good ground for us to get the Court to throw away the order it issued today. We are sure the order will be reversed,” he said.
“We therefore call on all the friends, associates and supporters of Dr. Saraki to remain calm because we know this action will not stand when the court gets to hear the side of the former Senate President.”
Recall that the Kwara state house of assembly is currently investigating an alleged transfer of the ownership of a four-bedroom chalet to Saraki.
