CCB investigator admits visiting Saraki”s assets after giving evidence
• Insists false, anticipatory declaration were made The Head of Intelligence Unit of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Samuel Madojemu yesterday admitted visiting Lagos to investigate assets of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki after swearing to an affidavit and giving evidence in chief. Under cross examination by counsel to Saraki, Paul Erokoro (SAN), […]
•Insists false, anticipatory declaration were made
The Head of Intelligence Unit of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Samuel Madojemu yesterday admitted visiting Lagos to investigate assets of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki after swearing to an affidavit and giving evidence in chief.
Under cross examination by counsel to Saraki, Paul Erokoro (SAN), the witness, who had earlier said he cannot remember visiting the said properties at No. 15a&15b Mcdonald, Ikoyi, Lagos confirmed that pictures of the properties were taken with an ipad and not a mobile phone and the pictures are with the CCB.
"The visitation was not done by me alone. I took the pictures with an ipad but I don’t know if my colleague snapped the picture with a mobile phone. It was in February, 2017 that we went to Lagos, but I can not recall the exact date", he said.
He also confirmed that he stated in his affidavit that Saraki made anticipatory asset declaration regarding 15a&15b Mcdonald, Ikoyi. He however added that the claim was done before further investigation into the matter.
"It is still true despite the further investigation because documents available show that the property was sold by the Federal Government to G&C Real Estate Properties as at 2003 when the defendant (Saraki) declared the property as his own”, he said.
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 need to be made, he will draw the attention of the declarant to effect the corrections in the form. The errors may be typographical errors, it may be descriptive 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.
"I have handled many cases and there are instances were 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 Saraki was not invited even for once when Orubebe was invited severally, the witness said it is the prerogative of the CCB to invite or not to invite.
"The decision on when to invite and when 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.