President of the Nigerian senate, Bukola Saraki Tuesday said he was “extremely rich” before he became Kwara State governor in 2003.
He said he already had $22million US dollars, about 12million pounds, 2.6m Euro and about N4billion in cash in his various accounts before ruling the state..
Available information shows that Saraki worked as a medical officer at Rush Green Hospital, Essex, from 1988 to 1989 and was a director of Société Générale Bank (Nig) Ltd from 1990 to 2000. The bank founded by his late father, Olusola Saraki, had its operating licence withdrawn in January 2006, by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He was In 2000, appointed as Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Budget. Aside the liquid asset, Saraki said he also possessed landed property estimated at N2billion and 15 vehicles valued at about N263.4m.
Saraki gave details of the vehicles he acquired as at 2003 to include: Mercedes X320, valued at N16m; Mercedes X500 worth N20m; Mercedes G500, valued at N6m; Mercedes V220 worth 2m and Ferrari456GT, valued at N25m.
Others are: Navigator, N15m, MN240 worth N8.5m; Peugeot 406, valued at N2.9m; Mercedes CLK 320 worth N9m; Mercedes E320 valued at N11m; Mercedes G500 bullet proof, worth N45m; Mercedes X500 worth N300m; Lexus jeep Bullet proof, valued at N30m and Lincoln Navigator Bullet Proof worth N25m.
Lawyer to the senate president, Paul Erokoro (SAN) made this public on Tuesday at the resumption of the Senate President’s trial for false asset declaration before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Abuja.
Erokoro, who stated this while cross-examining the first prosecution witness, Michael Wetkas, identified the assets as claimed by Saraki in the asset declaration form he submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in 2003.
He said he needed to point out that his client was very rich before he became Kwara State governor to erase the wrong impression created by the prosecution that, he could not have acquired the property he claimed to have, without obtaining loans from banks
The lawyer was however silent on the source of his client’s wealth and how he came about all the property and cash he claimed to have possessed before he became governor in 2003.
