No substance in case against me –Ribadu – The Nation
November 22, 2009 by tim
Embattled former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has reacted to the bench warrant of arrest issued against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), dismissing it as part of the “relentless persecution against me”.
Ribadu’s lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, also said the tribunal’s operation under the presidency makes it improperly constituted and does not guarantee its independence.
His words, “The serious objection raised against the operation of the tribunal under the Presidency was curiously ignored by the chairman and the members .In the circumstances we are going to challenge the vires of the President’s Tribunal to subject our client to any trial until the tribunal is properly constituted”.
In his release yesterday titled “A fugitive, me”, the former anti-corruption enforcer asked the tribunal to order the Code of Conduct Bureau to release a copy of his declaration of assets form without which he would not have been cleared by the National Assembly for his last public office.
The tribunal last Friday ordered the police to arrest Ribadu for failing to appear at its sitting to defend charges of failure to declare his assets while in office.
But Ribadu said the accusation lacked substance since he declared his assets before he was confirmed for office in 2003.
The release reads in part: “My attention has been brought to the decision today of the Code of Conduct Tribunal headed by Justice Constance Momoh declaring me wanted and a fugitive of the law.
“I am naturally surprised at this decision of the court knowing full well that I had to leave the country on January 3 this year after a relentless persecution which climaxed in two assassination attempts.
“Previous to this I had been investigated like no other for alleged financial impropriety including for a bogus allegation of treason. Shortly before December 23, 2008, when my dismissal was announced from the Police, the Presidency announced an investigation into the assassination attempt. Till date no results have been announced on this.
“Just two months ago, on September 23, Mr. Falana wrote on my behalf to the Code of Conduct Bureau requesting certified true copies of my asset declaration forms which were submitted on assumption of office in March 2003 and my exit from office in December 2008, nothing has come out of this.
“My request for certified true copies of my asset declaration forms cannot be conceived as a privilege, they are indeed a right and the basic conditions to enable my lawyers prepare my defence against the charges ahead of the trial.
“I put it all to the relentless persecution against me, even though I cannot see how using the code of conduct track can be any helpful than other discredited methods of the past. Is it not simple logic that I could never have been confirmed for my position in 2003 if I did not submit an asset declaration form to the Senate, as all officers needing senate confirmation are obligated to do.
