The trial of embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki resumed with the
first prosecution witness revealing how he failed to declare houses in
UK, as well as the upscale areas of Ikoyi, Lagos and Abuja.
The witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, an operative of the EFCC, ended his
three-day testimony on Monday in the trial of Saraki on 13 counts of
false and anticipatory asset declaration before the CCT.
The witness, who was led in evidence by the lead prosecuting counsel,
Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), reeled off the names of various companies operated
by Saraki.
He allegedly used the companies while he was the governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.
Wetkas revealed to the CCT alleged falsehood in the details of the
assets Saraki had declared to the Code of Conduct Bureau when he was the
governor.
He said Saraki bought 3 assets from the Presidential Implementation
Committee on Sale of Federal Government Properties, which he did not
declare in the forms submitted to the CCB.
He stated that the defendant acquired the three landed assets from the
presidential committee against the policy that no one should acquire
more than one.
He said, “We invited the members of the Presidential Implementation
Committee on Sale of Federal Government Properties. From our findings,
one person is only allowed to acquire one property under the scheme. But
the first defendant got three properties using his personal name and
the name of his company.
“No.15 Mcdonald Street, Ikoyi, was got in the name of the defendant’s
company, Tiny Tee Limited and 17, 17A and 17B were got in his personal
name.
“Exhibit P21 relates to Plot 2481 and 2482, Cadastrial Zone A06,
Maitama, Abuja, otherwise known as 1 and 3 Targus Street, Maitama,
Abuja. From Exhibit 21, they were acquired in 1993.
“From Exhibit 1, under Appendix 3 (details of landed property in Nigeria), I did not see the property.
“The defendant did not declare Plot 2481 and 2482, Cadastrial Zone A06,
Maitama, Abuja, on assumption of office in 2003. Neither did I see No 1
and 3 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja, in the asset declaration form.
“Exhibit 3 is the asset declaration form in 2007. In 2007, the defendant
declared 1 Targus Street, Maitama, Abuja. Number 3 was not declared.
“In the asset declaration form of 2011, No. 1 Targus, Musa Yar’Adua was
declared. He did not declare No 3 Targus Street, Maitama.
Wetkas also revealed how Saraki obtained N375m loan from the Guaranty
Trust Bank on February 11, 2010, which he allegedly used to purchase a
property in London.
The Senate President was said to have failed to declare the London property.
He said, “Sometimes in February 11, 2010, a loan of N375m was availed to the defendant by GTB.
“Exhibit 7 is the offer letter for the loan for him to borrow N375m. The
offer letter was dated February 10, 2010, but was disbursed to the
account on February 11, 2010 for the purchase of the property in London.
I did not see anywhere it was declared in the asset declaration form
dated June 3, 2011.”
Wetkas also listed some landed assets, which his investigative team
discovered to be owned by Saraki but were allegedly not declared by him.
The witness added, “Exhibit 19 is the search warrant executed on the premises of Carlie Limited in Lagos.
“A list of some of the properties belonging to the defendant was
obtained from the office of Carlie Properties in Lagos. On the list we
have:
“Ruston Garden, Ikoyi, Lagos, divided into nine sub-units of properties.
Each of them is yielding a total of N14m. The total income from that
property alone is N126m per annum.
“The property at 37 Glover Road, by the record, was yielding N5,500,000 per annum.
“Exhibit 4 (asset declaration form made in July, 2015) there is column
for farm, ranches, orchards, factory. But nothing was declared.
“In exhibit Exhibit 5, he said, ‘I do not have’.”
Prosecuting counsel, Jacobs, through the witness, tendered cheques drawn
from Saraki’s personal account and the account of his firm, Carlie
Properties and Investments Limited, for payment for the property.
The various tranches totalled N522,060,000.
Wetkas said the property was bought in the name of Tiny Tee Limited from
the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Sale of Federal
Government Properties between 2006 and 2007.
He said, “The part payment was from GTB account of Carlie Properties and Investment Ltd.
“There is a draft before me for N256,300,000, which was a part payment for 17, Mcdonald Street, Ikoyi, Lagos.
“There is another draft before me of N12,815,000, which was a part payment for 17, Mcdonald, Ikoyi.
“There is another draft of a total of N24,090,000. That total is broken
down into. – N20m from Zenith Bank and N4,090,000 from GTB. The total of
the two are part payments for 17 Mcdonald, Ikoyi.”
He said Saraki featured the name of his wife, Oluwatoyin, as a director
in two of the companies – Carlie Properties and Investments Limited and
Sky View Limited.
But on inviting the Senate President’s wife, she denied participating in the running of the companies.
He said, “From our findings, the Managing Director of Carlie Properties
Investments Limited, Mr. Kenedy Sule Izuabe, managed the company on
behalf of the defendant.
“The defendant is the beneficiary of the rent paid for these properties. From
Exhibit 25, our findings, one company, Babs Trading and Manufacturing
Limited, and Ojora Oluwatoyin were directors in Carlie Properties and
Investments Limited and later on Mr. Keneth Izuabe was also added as a
director in the company. The people mentioned are both directors and
shareholders.
“Babs Trading and Manufacturing Limited is also linked to the defendant.
“Ojora Oluwatoyin is the wife of the defendant. We invited her in the
course of the investigation. The reason was because, from the statement
of account of Carlie Properties and Investments Limited, and Sky View,
her name featured as a signatory to the accounts of the companies. We
called her to clarify some transactions and she said she did not
participate in the activities and disbursements from the accounts of
Carlie and Sky View.”
Wetkas had, in his testimony of March 18, 2016, revealed that Saraki
declared that he acquired the property in 2003, whereas, he only
purchased it from the Presidential Implementation Committee on Sale of
Federal Government Property in 2006.
