The Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja has ordered the arrest of Senate President Bukola Saraki.
Justice Danladi Umar in his ruling on Friday directed the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase to arrest and produce Saraki before the tribunal on Monday.
Saraki was charged before the tribunal in Abuja over false or improper filling of the Assets Declaration Form to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in 2003.
But Saraki in an ex parte application in an Abuja Federal High Court challenged the mode of initiating the prosecution.
Saraki is arguing that under Section 24 of the CCB and Tribunal Act, his prosecution before the tribunal shall be initiated by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) or any officer directed by him (AGF).
Prosecuting counsel Muslim Hassan, a senior legal officer in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) told the tribunal that the federal high court did not make an order stopping Saraki’s prosecution.
He added that if such an order was made, it would still not stop the trial as the court has no supervisory jurisdiction over the tribunal.
But Saraki’s counsel Joseph Daudu (SAN) urged the tribunal to obey the summons issued by the Federal High Court to all parties to appear before it on Monday.
"There is an order from Federal High Court, and the best thing is to go and discharge that order. We should not desecrate the temple of justice because we do not know what the consequences will be. Monday is not too far away and nobody is afraid of prosecution," he said.
Presiding judge of the tribunal Danladi Umar upheld the argument of the prosecution and ruled that the tribunal and Federal High Court are of coordinate jurisdiction.
