– One of Bukola Saraki’s lawyer, Raphael
Oluyede got Danladi Umar, the presiding judge at the CCT, angry
–
Oluyede brought up an application by Saraki asking Umar to withdraw from his
trial
– The CCT chairman asked that the lawyer be
arrested
Justice Danladi Umar, the presiding judge at
the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Thursday, April 21, lost his temper at
the court.
This happened after one of the lawyers on the
Bukola Saraki’s trial, Raphael Oluyede, announced the motion he filed against
the judge through the Senate president.
The
application filed on Wednesday, April 20, seeks for Umar to withdraw from the
case based on his alleged cases with the Economic Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
When
Oloyede was about to commence the body of the motion, Rotimi Jacobs, the counsel
to the federal government said the business of the day is to cross examine the
witness, Michael Wetkas, therefore the motion should not be presented. “He was
never in this case and the time he filed this motion he had never appeared on
this case,” he said.
He quoted section 349 of the constitution which
states that a legal practitioner under a matter is bound to engage in any case
unless he is allowed to by the lead counsel.
Jacobs said because he is not a counsel on the
matter, he will not accept the motion. He said it’s not ripe for hearing but an
affidavit needs to be filed for it. But Umar while addressing the issue
dismissed the motion. “This motion being filed by a mere busy body legal
practitioner cannot be accepted.
He was the lawyer who sued the judge that he
has not been cleared by the EFCC. “You are supposed to be leading by example.
How can you allow such rubbish thing to happen. “You are granting him an
opportunity to address the tribunal not as a counsel to the defendant. “That
motion as far as the court is concerned, that file is thrown away. It is so
shameful and unfortunate,” he said. Adebayo Adelodun, one of the counsels who
stood up in defense of Oloyede said that it was the right of the lawyer to file
a motion no matter how unserious it seems and it is in his power to dismiss it.
In anger, Oloyede stood up to defend himself
saying, “I am a counsel in this matter. There are too many clouded things with
you and the EFCC that’s why you are doing this.” Thereafter, Umar asked that
the lawyer be arrested, but was settled and agreed to commence with the trial.
Saraki has been charged to court since September 22, 2015, over 13 counts of
corruption bordered on corruption. Watch the video below.
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