EFCC to arraign Saraki after vacating restraining order – TheNigerialawyer

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission plans to arraign
the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, for alleged money
laundering and looting of the Kwara State coffers during his
administration of the state between 2003 and 2011, PUNCH
reports.

The PUNCH gathered on Sunday that the plan to earlier arraign
Saraki was frustrated by the restraining order granted against the
EFCC by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Saraki had filed a fundamental human rights suit before Justice
Taiwo who granted an ex parte order restraining the commission and
five other agencies of the Federal Government from continuing its
investigations of corruption allegations against him.

But a senior EFCC operative confided in our correspondent in
Abuja that “Saraki’s arraignment cannot be stopped by any court
order,” noting that the commission had strongly protested against
the restraining order to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court,
Justice Abdul Kafarati.

The source said, “We have already protested against the
restraining order to the Chief Judge. We will not waste time in
arraigning the former senate president once the order granted by
Justice Taiwo is vacated and the case is transferred to a different
judge. Saraki will have his day in court soon; nothing can stop
it.”

Meanwhile, the commission has said that the ongoing
investigation against the ex-Senate President and other
politically-exposed persons was on course.

The commission in a statement on Sunday by its acting spokesman,
Tony Orilade, also said that investigation of Saraki’s stewardship
as a former Senate President and former governor of Kwara State had
nothing to do with the non-confirmation of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the
substantive chairman of the EFCC.

The EFCC said this in reaction to a report stating that Magu
sought Saraki’s assistance for his Senate confirmation in 2016.

The agency explained that the probe against Saraki had nothing
to do with “the weighty allegations of financial fraud trailing his
eight years stewardship in Kwara State and leadership of the
Senate.”

The statement read, “We wish to state without any contradiction
that Saraki and his co-travellers will surely have their day in
court shortly.

“Let it be stated in unequivocal terms that the investigation of
Saraki’s stewardship, whether as a former Senate President or as a
former governor of Kwara State, has absolutely nothing to do with
the non-confirmation of Magu as the substantive chairman of the
EFCC.”