#CCTvsSaraki: EVERY MINUTE HAPPENINGS AT THE TRIBUNAL AS THE CASE PROGRESSES ON 10TH MAY, 2016

The arrival of the defendant, Prosecuting and Defence Counsels

Agabi is now on his feet

Introducing other lawyers

Rotimi now in court

Rotimi just call in witness to the box

A now lawyer is now on his feet to continue cross examination

Rotimi Jacobs… makes some references to counter Erokoros point…
Noting that all the lawyers cannot speak at the same time that is why there is a lead counsel, …

Rotimi on his feet replying our lawyer argument

Saying Usoro is suppose to continue his cross examination

Not individally

D lawyer is on his feet to counter rotimi objection

Rotimi: they can speak in one voice through the lead counsel in one voice

Bt Rotimi is objecting

Rotimi: 6 lawyers cannot be cross examining witnesses, the court is entitled to regulate the procedures.
Rotimi: I urge your lordship to resist such….

Erokoro also said if Rotimi like he can withdraw some of the charges because they will not rush.

Rotimi: I should have the last say..

Assistant to Danladi : Rotimi the part which you referred us to does not insist that it must be the lead counsel

Danladi: this should apply during cross examination

Assistant Judge:This is the first time this kind of request is being made.

Rotimi:this is not the first time

Erokoro : my learned friend knows that the constitution provides that more than one lawyer can cross examine a witness

Umar: I hearby rule that Kanu Agabi ‘ s submission for Ilokoro to cross examine Wetkas is sustained

Ilokoro thanks Justice Umar for his ruling and asks for Exhibits 1, 14 and 16

Wetkas: making clarifications, said this is the one that what forwarded to our office. He pointed to the document before him

Wetkas: CCB also brought another copies
Erokoro: Did you have different versions of exhibit 1?

Wetkas: NO

Where is d original

Erokoro: is there any particular reason why you have not brought the original?

Wetkas tender the documents ‘

Erokoro: Have you ever seen the original of the exhibit 1?

Wetkas: he sounds negative

Wetkas: YES I HAVE SEEN IT. The court shouts yeeeeeeeeepa!

Erokoro: Why was the original brought to you. Why?

Erokoro: we are giving him another chance to clarify. Why was it necessary for you to see the original?

Wetkas: I didn’t demand for it

Erokoro: you must answer that question. We will remain here till night

Wetkas: because the original is the original. It was kept where the photocopy was

Erokoro: fiiiiiine. Thank you. The original is the original, he said in a mocking sarcasm

Rotimi: the witness has spoken. He said he didn’t request for the original

ROTIMI:It’s not for him to explain the conduct of the EFCC

Erokoro: No he must. They working as a team

Erokoro: It was necessary for us to see the original because it is the original, my lord the witness has spoken

Danladi taking notes

Wetkas:the photocopy is a replica of d original d four muuuuu

Erokoro: your evidence made the impression that the defendant was not a man of… That’s why he had to borrow money

Erokoro: your evidence made the impression that the defendant was not a man of ‘means’ That’s why he had to borrow money to build/buy house?

Erokoro: as matter of fact, your evidence especially exhibit 1 suggests that the defendant was an extremely wealthy man before he became governor

Wetkas: my lord I never said that

Erokoro:as a matter of fact ur evidence shows that Saraki was wealthy b4bcoming a Governor

Erokoro: do you have the asset declaration form of the defendant?

Wetkas: Myself? NO!

Erokoro: exhibit 1 shows that the defendant was worth more than N1.5b by 2003

Wetkas: I’ve not seen the document you’re reading from. Erokoro sends a copy to him to see

Erokoro: do you need a calculator? I can give you one

Wetkas going through d document

Interrogation now gets mathematically tougher

Wetkas is not happy and his hand is shaking while trying to calculate the money  using calculator given to him by Erokoro

Wetkas: I’ve seen the defendants wife account in Ecobank… It is 1m 500k

Erokoro asked Wetkas to go to page 9

Erokoro: I want to bring your attention to the NAIRA… We shall come back to the $ and £ later

Erokoro: Have you seen

Appendix 7b under item 1a

Hands over to Wetkas..

Erokoro go to page  six ex1

Wetkas: yes I have seen them

Danladi which bank asked Wetkas

Wetkas: listing properties, Mercedes bullet proof: 30million naira lexus jeep bullet proof-30million, navigator: 25Million naira……..

Wetkas: he went on and on… but now calculating…

Rotimi: it’s not the job of the witness to come here and start calculating figures

Erokoro: all the evidences the prosecution counsel has presented before this court are totally IRRELEVANT. He CANT defend it.

Court shoooouuuttsssss

Erokoro: all the evidence presented by the witness is not related to asset declarations my learned colleague has done all within his power to discredit the defence

Erokoro: all what ROTIMI is doing here is for his personal interest, Erokoro OPENLY alleged Rotimi!

Ilokoro : Over N260M on vehicles alone owned by the defendant before he even became governor

Erokoro: The defendant was worth more than $22m; $12m pounds; £2.6m before he became governor

#LESSON: Ise ni OGUN Ise

Erokoro: do you know how verification is carried out by CCB?

Wetkas: it can be by physical inspection

Rotimi keeps intercepting..

Erokoro: during your investigation, do you have any evidence that CCB has conducted any investigation?

Wetkas: No I don’t!

Rotimi objecting the new pattern of the cross examination. “You can’t be asking hypothetical questions,” he said’

Rotimi:  you can’t be asking questions based on assumptions

Erokoro: I can ask question in various ways this is not the law school you cannot teach me anything here…

Erokoro: I can ask questions to check wether he’s intelligent; sincere; or whatever.

Wetkas: I had said earlier that we were investigating money Laundering before we discovered the Breach of the CCB..

Erokoro: Call Adamu Garba who chaired the investigation to come and brief you… He tells Wetkas

Erokoro: have you ever filled an asset declaration form. I have, he answered. When was that, Erokoro asked

Wetkas : yes

Erokoro: He form you filled… Was it like exhibit one?

Wetkas: I would not be able to confirm but it’s very similar

Erokoro: Has the CCB ever returned your asset declaration form to you?

Wetkas:I can’t remember

Rotimi: if it is a war, we are ready for it.

Danladi: NO! This isn’t a war!

Danladi: you should try not to intimidate the witness.

Erokoro: I’m sorry my lord. I won’t

Danladi is calming down Rotimi

Erokoro to Wetkas did hv any issues Wetkas no no no noo

Wetkas was given another document

Erokoro: Can you show this tribunal a letter from CCB where they refer to your letter… By reference, reference number, subject matter?

Wetkas: they responded on….

Wetkas: they responded on….

Erokoro: where’s the letter.

Wetkas: searching for the letter

He just found 1 dated 28 August 2015

Wetkas: that addressed part of our request letter mr Erokoro is referring to

Wetkas: Our investigations isn’t just about…

Erokoro/Danladi cut him, telling him not to burden himself with un-needed explanations

Wetkas: Now reading the letter..

Erokoro: what you are reading is totally irrelevant

Erokoro: Is it usual for EFCC to write a government department and the agency will refuse to reply?

Wetkas: I don’t have anything to hide about that…

Erokoro: you as government has something to hide. In subsequent examination, we shall prove that to you.

Erokoro: the only reason why I’m pursuing this reason, my lord, is that he said one letter has answered another letter.

I want to see the original letter.

Wetkas: we can make our request in anyway..

Erokoro: alleges that EFCC didn’t respond to a particular letter.

Wetkas: we treated it

Erokoro: is he proper that a government agency fails to respond to a letter, I’ve asked this earlier and Wetkas said NO

EROKORO: I agree that EFCC can respond comprehensively but let him show this tribunal the letter where they responded to…

The letter is dated: 15 Aug, 2015

2nd lawyer: do your best. Life must continue. If they ask you any question, answer directly.

That’s how lawyers behaves

Erokoro:D o you have a reply of a letter from presidency…..

Wetkas: I DONT have it

Erokoro : do you have any details from any of the law enforcement agent written from the investigation team before the defendant became senate president

Wetkas: I was not part of that theme of 2006 , I don’t have any

Erokoro : Did you receive any letter from the officer that handed over the case to you in the person of Adamu Garba.

Wetkas: No

Erokoro : can I please have a look of the 2006 investigation team report

Irokoro: do you have any correspondence between…?

Wetkas: No

Irokoro: do you know the property you’re going to own in the next 3 years time

Wetkas: I don’t know

Irokoro: your charge in … (Date) states that the defendant already knew what he was going to acquire in a future date

Irokoro: I didn’t say the defendant acquire properties in 2006

Rotimi: Irokoro is just confusing the witness

Irokoro: you already told this tribunal that you can’t know what you would acquire in 3 years time. Why isn’t that applicable in the case of the defendant?

Wetkas: I can’t answer that my lord. The prosecution can

Danladi updating his notepad

Irokoro: as at the time exhibit 1 was prepared, this property (so so so) hasn’t been acquired…

Irokoro made a mockery of Wetkas how he insinuated (long ago) that Saraki declared assets in anticipation (anticipatory declaration)

Irokoro: How do you think that the counsel poses the witchcraft to know what hat he will acquire in a future time?

Irokoro: it is very very obvious that exhibit 1 could not have been written in 2013 because of its content. Do you agree?

Rotimi intercepts

The prosecution tendered all exhibits. No defendant has made no comment. The witness should answer all our questions

Arguments erupt!

Serious argument btw Rotimi and  Erokoro

Irokoro: You tendered exhibit 1 saying its… And I said that document couldn’t have been made in 2003. Do you agree?

Rotimi intercepted to help confused wektas

Wetkas: I’m not the one that signed the declaration form. It’s the defendant (in 2003)

Danladi  taking notes

Danladi reads that Wetkas said “the declaration hasn’t been tampered.” Irokoro called his attention immediately that Wetkas never said so.

Danladi read to him again and Wetkas withdrawn such part of the statement

IT WAS NOT TAMPERED!

Irokoro: wasn’t all these why you didn’t show exhibit 1 to the defendant so that he won’t see it and say this isn’t what I signed!

Rotimi intercepted

Rotimi: cross-examination isn’t to harass anybody

Danladi asked Wetkas u wasn’t there,Wetkas yes..note taking by Danladi

Wetkas asked another vital question again. He referred it to another team of investigators. “I wasn’t there,” he said.

Danladi repeated that statement (I wasn’t there) while filling his divine book.

Irokoro: thank you my lord for quoting that statement

Agabi father now pushing for adjournment till next day. Danladi is enjoying interrogation with his father

Danladi: God loves covenant. The covenant is that we will close daily by 4 o clock.

Danladi: We still have 30 mins

Agabi making mild jokes out of covenant

Agabi making mild jokes out of covenant

Usoro now explaining what covenant is.

Danladi: I don’t want to appear as if I’m not a human. I’m a huma

Now the judge is talking in acceptance of adjournment till tomorrow

Danladi: calmly accepted to adjourn till tomorrow

Danladi now updating his law book as the tribunal adjourned till tomorrow Wednesday, 11th May, 2016.

Compiled by Musa Danjuma