Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Monday said that he
is not in any form of media war with the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He also said that he is innocent of the allegations of fraud
leveled against him by the anti-graft agency.
Saraki, in a statement by his media adviser, Yusuph Olaniyonu,
noted rather than engage in any media war with the EFCC, he has
been the one at the receiving end of the media onslaught allegedly
sponsored by the EFCC against him.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Media Office of Dr.
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has been drawn to the claims contained in
the Press Statement issued yesterday (June 30, 2019) by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and we believe we
should make some clarifications for members of the public to have a
better understanding of the issues raised therein.
“Dr. Saraki has not engaged in any media war. Rather, Dr. Saraki
has been the one at the receiving end of the media onslaught
sponsored from the office of the EFCC.
‘’Various documents and court processes from the agency have
been given to a particular newspaper for publication. In fact,
while the EFCC distributed copies of its letter to the Chief Judge
of the Federal High Court immediately it was submitted, we are
still surprised how Dr. Saraki’s response written early May found
its way into a newspaper last Sunday.
‘’It should be known that if we were interested in leaking the
letter, we would not wait for seven weeks to do that. Dr. Saraki
believes he is on firm ground on the points of law and has nothing
to be afraid of. He is innocent of the charges.
“We need to reiterate that Dr. Saraki is not interested in
obstructing any investigation by the EFCC or any security agency.
While the EFCC claims that it is investigating the Office of the
Senate President between 2015 and 2019, we make bold to say that it
is just on a wild goose chase.
‘’That Office has nothing to do with contract awards and
handling of the finances of the National Assembly. These are
functions of the bureaucracy of the National Assembly, otherwise
known as the National Assembly Management.
“On its persistent probe of the tenure of Dr. Saraki as Governor
of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011, we maintain that all the
issues the EFCC are presently raising were the same issues that are
contained in four of the charges filed before the Code of Conduct
Tribunal (CCT) and taken before the Court of Appeal and the Supreme
Court.
“The CCT case went beyond the subject matter of asset
declaration. They raised issues about the assets, how and when they
were acquired, the sources of their funding and the banking
transactions of Dr. Saraki.
“That is why we maintain that since the issues have been
determined by the courts up to the Supreme Court, the EFCC is just
on a persecution and smear campaigns with its current
investigations.
“At the time the CCT charges were filed, it was generally
believed some of the charges should not have been lumped up with
the asset declaration issues.
“However, in their desperation to nail Dr. Saraki, some of the
charges that contained insinuations that Kwara State funds were
paid into accounts owned by him and companies in which he has
interests were filed. And twice, the charges went before the
highest court in the land and he was discharged and acquitted.
“It is also the reason that Dr. Saraki believes that the current
investigation constitutes an infringement on his fundamental human
rights.
“And in the exercise of his belief in the judiciary, he filed a
case seeking the court’s intervention for the protection and
enforcement of the rights.”
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