The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB)
has directed ministers, service chiefs, government officials and civil servants
to declare their assets, in compliance with paragraph 11 of
part 1 of the 5th
schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) or risk prosecution at the Code
of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
CCB chairman, Sam Saba, commended
civil servants who declared their assets within the time frame set by the
bureau but reiterated that the bureau will go round the country to verify
assets already declared by public officials.
“Pursuant to paragraph 11 of part
1 of the fifth schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), every public
officer is required to submit to the CCB a written declaration of all his
properties, assets and liabilities and those of his/her spouse (if not a public
officer) and his unmarried children under the age of 18 years,” he said in a
statement.
“Any statement in such
declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorised in
that behalf to verify it shall be deemed to be a breach of this code.
“To this end, the Bureau has
commenced its 2016 fourth Quarter Cycle of conference and field verifications
of assets of top public officers.
“Accordingly, letters of
invitation have been dispatched to ministers of, service chiefs and other top
public officers.
“This exercise is ongoing and is
being carried out concurrently at the federal, state and local government
levels.
“At a satisfactory completion of
the exercise, public officers are issued with certificate of assets conference
verification/field verification as the case maybe.
“CCB however, commends those
public officers, who honoured its invitations promptly and submitted themselves
for the exercise.”
On September 22, 2015, the
Federal Government, based on a recommendation by the CCB, docked Senate
President, Bukola Saraki, before the CCT in Abuja, on a 13-count criminal
charge that bordered on corruption, false declaration of assets, and illegal
operation of a foreign bank account while in office as a public servant. Saraki
pleaded not guilty to the charge marked ABT/01/15, which the Federal Ministry
of Justice preferred against him.
In the charge sheet, which was
signed by a deputy director in the office of the Attorney General of the
Federation, Mr. M. S. Hassan, the Senate President was alleged to have
manipulated the assets declaration forms he submitted before the CCB in 2003,
2007 and 2011, by making anticipatory declaration of assets.
Recently, the CCT convicted
former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe for false declaration
of assets.
He has since gone to the Court of
Appeal challenging the ruling..
sunnewsonline
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