The trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki commenced at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, with the cross examination of the first prosecution witness, Michael Wetkas, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Saraki is currently facing trial at the tribunal for false declaration of assets while he was the Governor of Kwara State.
Wetkas while reading Exhibit 8, count 12, alleged how the Senate President operated foreign account during his time as the Governor of Kwara State.
He said, “Count 12 reads that Saraki transfered the sum of $3.4m from his Guaranteed Trust Bank account to his foreign account in American Expressed bank, New York in August 2012 in several transaction.
After being asked by Saraki’s counsel, Paul Usoro, to identify from the document tendered to the tribunal relating to the various transfers, the witness said the number of transaction carried out were many and will take the time of the court.
Wetkas maintained that the document tendered before the tribunal was a summary of all the transactions carried out on the American Express Bank, New York by Saraki.
“When my team was given this assignment, we were told to analyse all Saraki’s transaction on the American Express Bank, New York. When it was done, we computed and that was tendered before the tribunal. Asking me now to explain everything will take days,” he said.