By Olusegun Lawrence The Supreme Court Thursday agreed to expedite hearing on the jurisdiction case brought before it by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
This is even as the federal government has given an undertaken that the Code of Conduct Tribunal will stay action on the trial of Saraki pending the determination of his appeal by the Apex Court.
Counsel to the federal government, Mr. Rotimi Jacob, SAN, gave the undertaken on Thursday as the Supreme Court commenced hearing on the appeal.
Mr. Saraki is facing a 13-count charge before the Code of Conduct Tribunal bordering on corruption and false declaration of assets when he was Kwara state Governor between 2003 and 2011.
He however approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction of the tribunal to try him, arguing that it was not properly constituted.
But in its ruling, two of the three-man panel of Justices of the Appellate Court threw away all the five issues raised by Mr. Saraki and ruled that the Tribunal had jurisdiction to precede with the trial.
Sequel to the ruling, Saraki, proceeded to the Supreme Court, praying it should grant stay of execution of the Appellate Court’s ruling and to as well determine whether the Tribunal has jurisdiction.
However, despite the appeal pending before the Supreme Court, the Tribunal last week insisted it will proceed with the hearing, resulting in the lawyers to Mr. Saraki, walking out on the Judges, saying the decision was “judicial rascality”.
With the undertaken by Mr. Jacob, counsel to the federal government, the Tribunal will now await the ruling of the Supreme Court to determine whether or not it will proceed with the trial of the senate president, Mr. Saraki.
