As the trial of
the Senate President, Bukola Saraki continues, there was a mild drama at the
Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in Abuja on Wednesday, as Paul Erokoro, counsel
to the
Senate President, engaged Rotimi Jacobs, representing the federal
government, in a shouting bout over a self-confessed attempt by the defense
counsel to mislead the prosecution witness during cross-examination.
It all started
when the defense counsel demanded that the witness, Samuel Madojemu, should
specify when he visited the property located at No 15 and 15B MacDonald Street,
in Ikoyi, Lagos, which is alleged to belong to Saraki.
The lawyer
subsequently reframed and twisted the question, apparently in an attempt to
confuse the witness, who said he could not remember.
Unsatisfied with
that answer, and seeking to elicit a particular response, Mr. Erokoro again
attempted to twist the same question, to which Mr. Jacobs objected, affirming
that the defense was trying to confuse his witness and praying the court to
protect him from harassment and intimidation by the defense.
Erokoro, in
response, screamed at Jacobs. “I am entitled to confuse and mislead the
witness,” he asserted. “That is why I am here and to show the court that the
witness is not truthful.”
The defence
counsel further accused the witness of having visited the property after he had
submitted his evidence-in-chief, saying that it amounted to giving anticipatory
evidence.
However, the
Chairman of the Tribunal, Danladi Umar, brought the situation under control and
appealed to both parties, urging the prosecution to allow the defense to
cross-examine the witness.
He noted that
the prosecution also had the right to re-examine his witness.
As the trial
resumed, the prosecution had earlier accused the tribunal of giving the
defendant two representations by allowing the two counsels to ask questions,
saying that was unfair to his witness.
Source:
DailyPost
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