The Head of Intelligence Unit of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Mr.Samuel Madojemu in Tuesday admitted at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) that he visited Lagos along with other investigators to investigate assets of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki after he (Madojemu) gave evidence that he has completed investigation.
He also admitted that the Bureau began to source for evidence against Saraki after he (Saraki) had already been arraigned at the tribunal on false asset declaration charges.
Under cross examination by counsel to Saraki, Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN), the witness admitted visiting Lagos for the purpose of investigating Saraki’s assets after he had given evidence in chief.
At the resumed trial of the Senate President before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, the witness also told the Tribunal that he took photograph of the Lagos property of the Senate President with his ipad in February but cannot however, recall the exact date.
The witness further told the Tribunal that he was not alone in the Lagos trip and that the photographs of the assets are with the CCB.
Asked if CCB ever invited Saraki to enter a statement, the witness said the asset declaration forms sworn to under oath by Saraki served as a statement.
“When Saraki made the asset declaration, he was not under suspicion. At the point of receipt of forms, when the receiving officer discovers that the form was not properly filled or some corrections needed to be made, he drew the attention of the declarant to effect the corrections in the form. The errors may be typographical errors, it may be disputive errors.”
He said he cannot confirm if these errors were noticed in Saraki’s forms since he was not the receiving officer.
He also said he cannot recall in his 20 years at the Bureau if any one was ever charged to court after not being invited as done to Saraki.
“I have handled many cases and there are instances where you invite the subject and they refuse to honour our invitation. Elder Godsday Orubebe was invited severally but refused to honour the invitation and was thereafter charged to the Tribunal and convicted”, he said.
Asked if it was justifiable that in the case of Saraki who was not invited even for once when Orubebe was invited severally, the witness said it is the prerogative of the Bureau to invite or not to invite.
“The decision on whether to invite and whether not to invite a declarant is beyond my competence. It is left for the management of the Bureau, so I cannot give answer on that”, Madojemu said.
Meanwhile, the trial continues today Wednesday.
