Supreme Court stays Saraki’s trial at CCT

The Supreme Court has ordered the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to halt the trial of Senate President Dr. bukola Saraki.

The Senate leader has a pending 13-count criminal charge at the CCT, but the apex court this morning, Thursday, November 12 has stayed further hearing on the case.

A five-man panel of Justices of the Supreme Court ‎led by Justice John Fabiyi, say the staying is to enable them hear and determine the substantive appeal that Saraki has loged.

Saraki is in his appeal marked SC/852/2015, pleaded with the Supreme Court to invoke its powers and quash the 13-count criminal charge that was preferred against him by the federal government.

He also prayed the apex court to set aside the judgement of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal which gave the government the nod to open its case by call witnesses to ‎testify against him in October.

“An order staying further proceedings in Charge No: CCT/ABJ/01/2015 between Federal Republic of Nigeria vs Dr. Olubukola Abubakar Saraki fixed for hearing on 5th and 6th of November, 2015 pending the determination of the appeal pending before the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Court of Appeal dated 30th October, 2015,” the appeal filed through Saraki's team of lawyers led by Mr. J.B. Daudu, SAN, reads.

“It is imperative to state that all the parties, including the Code of Conduct Tribunal, should tarry a while to enable this court to determine the appeal before it," the Supreme Court is quoted to say by Vangaurd.

A hearing date will be communicated to all the parties.

The Supreme Court made the order even before the prosecuting counsel Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, entered ‎an undertaking before the apex court that 'no unusual step will be taken by the federal government', in relation to the matter.