Saraki Hid Multi-Million Dollar Property In London – Witness.
Michael Wetkas, the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the senate president Bukola Saraki, told CCT on Tuesday that Saraki bought a N375m property in London in 2010 which he did not declare.
Wetkas said under cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), that the Senate President did not declare the London property nor the liability of the loan in his asset declaration form submitted to the CCB at the end of his second term as governor in 2011.
Saraki is being prosecuted on 16 counts, including false and anticipatory asset declaration which he allegedly made when he was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2007.
But his lawyer, Usoro disputed Count 11 of the charges, in which Saraki was accused of failing to declare his liability of N375m loan and the London property.
He said Saraki was not bound to declare the N375m as his liability because as of the time he made his end of tenure asset declaration as governor on June 3, 2011 his debit balance was about N36m.
But Wetkas said while it was true that that the debit balance on the account was N36m as of May 31, 2011, the embattled senate president failed to declare the property he acquired in London with the loan.
The witness said, “There are two issues. The issue of the loan and the issue of property he used the loan to buy in London. Our position is that we are aware that the outstanding balance was not N375m but N36,042,202.04 as at that date.
“But if that loan was taken for something else apart from property, we would not have made an issue out of it. But it was taken to buy a property, our position is that, that property should have been declared in this asset declaration form of 2011.
Wetkas said under cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), that the Senate President did not declare the London property nor the liability of the loan in his asset declaration form submitted to the CCB at the end of his second term as governor in 2011.
Saraki is being prosecuted on 16 counts, including false and anticipatory asset declaration which he allegedly made when he was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2007.
But his lawyer, Usoro disputed Count 11 of the charges, in which Saraki was accused of failing to declare his liability of N375m loan and the London property.
He said Saraki was not bound to declare the N375m as his liability because as of the time he made his end of tenure asset declaration as governor on June 3, 2011 his debit balance was about N36m.
But Wetkas said while it was true that that the debit balance on the account was N36m as of May 31, 2011, the embattled senate president failed to declare the property he acquired in London with the loan.
The witness said, “There are two issues. The issue of the loan and the issue of property he used the loan to buy in London. Our position is that we are aware that the outstanding balance was not N375m but N36,042,202.04 as at that date.
“But if that loan was taken for something else apart from property, we would not have made an issue out of it. But it was taken to buy a property, our position is that, that property should have been declared in this asset declaration form of 2011.
"And if it was declared in the asset declaration form, the source of how the property was acquired would have been declared that the money was sourced through loan.”
Saraki's lawyers are trying to play smart but Wetkas, an EFCC operative, is giving out the facts so far.
Saraki's lawyers are trying to play smart but Wetkas, an EFCC operative, is giving out the facts so far.
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