SAN FRANCISCO, May 20, (THEWILL) – Reprieve has come for former Kwara State governor and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bukola Saraki, as a federal high court sitting in Abuja, Wednesday, cleared him of any wrongdoing in a bank loan being investigated by the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU) since 2012.
The decision of the court was based on the legal opinion by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN) that the allegations against him were not only baseless but unfounded.
Adke’s opinion was a response to the report submitted to him by the Inspector General of Police on Police findings in a complaint of Joy Petroleum Limited.
Ruling in a suit filed by Saraki against the police for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights, Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) from further inviting or arresting the Senator over the alleged bank loan.
The presiding judge also ordered the agents of the IGP, especially the operatives of the SFU to stop further harassment , intimidation and breach of the fundamental rights of the former governor and his aides.
According to the court, any attempt to commence any further interrogation of Saraki over an issue already declared closed by the Minister of Justice would amount to a breach of his fundamental rights.
Justice Mohammed maintained that it would be unfair for Saraki to be subjected to further interrogation by the police, having been cleared of any wrongdoing by the AGF in the report police submitted to the minister for legal advice.
According to Justice Mohammed, the court had no choice but to okay the legal opinion of the Minister of Justice that the complaints against Saraki were baseless, unfounded and not supported with any shred of documentary evidence since he (Saraki) has no link with Joy Petroleum Limited, the complainant.
Saraki had instituted the suit against the Inspector General of Police over repeated invitation to appear before the Police SFU for investigation on a bank loan resolved in his favour two years ago.
The Senator had complained of undue harassment and intimidation on the part of Police and sought protection of his fundamental human rights to justice and fair-play.
He based his application on he fact that he had been investigated and exonerated by the Police report on the same matter two years ago.
