NPAN applauds CCT over $220 fine on Meta - ITREALMS

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The Newspaper Proprietors' Association of Nigeria (NPAN) has received the news that the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCT) upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Incorporated, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, reports ITREALMS.

NPAN through NPAN secretary, Mrs Angela Emuwa and president, Malam Kabiru Yusuf, recalled that the penalty was imposed after a 30-month investigation between 2021 and 2023 by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for unauthorised data sharing and discriminatory practices by Meta against Nigerian users.

Supreme Court stops CCT over Saraki

ITRealms:

The Supreme Court, Thursday, ordered the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to suspend without delay the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, ITRealms reports.

The trial next sitting was billed for next week. However the ruling by the Supreme Court has in a way restored sanity in the judiciary after the drama at the CCT last week in which counsels to Saraki had to stage a walkout from the Tribunal after the Chairman had insisted on going ahead with the case in spite of the pendency of the appeal by Saraki at the apex court, a move Saraki’s lawyers described as ‘judicial rascality’.

At the commencement of the hearing on the appeal brought before the Court, ITRealms gathered, counsel to the federal government through, Mr. Rotimi Jacob, SAN, gave an undertaken that the Tribunal will stay action on the trial of Saraki pending the determination of his appeal by the Supreme Court. Saraki is facing a 13-count charge before theTribunal bordering on corruption and false declaration of assets when he was Kwara State Governor between 2003 and 2011.

He however approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the jurisdiction of the tribunal to try him, arguing that it was not properly constituted. But in its ruling, two of the three-man panel of Justices of the Appellate Court threw away all the five issues raised by Saraki and ruled that the Tribunal has jurisdiction to precede with the trial.

ITRealms also recalls that not satisfied with the ruling of the Appeal Court, Saraki approached the Supreme Court, praying it to grant stay of execution of the Appellate Court’s ruling as well as determine whether the Tribunal has jurisdiction.

The implication of the Supreme Court ruling is that the Tribunal would stay off Saraki’s case before it pending the determination of the appeal of Saraki by the apex court.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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Saraki bows to pressure, accepts to appear before Tribunal tomorrow

ITRealms:

The President of the Senate, BukolaSaraki, has finally bowed to pressure by accepting to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) tomorrow, Tuesday, ITRealms reports.

The press statement reaching ITRealms signed by his Media Office, read that the “Senate President, Dr. Abubaka rBukola Saraki would appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal tomorrow, Tuesday 22,September 2015”; even as the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Yakubu Umar, has issued a fresh arrest warrant on Nigerian Senate President, Bukola Saraki after a short adjournment at the resumed hearing over his false declaration of assets.

Judge Umar ordered the Inspector General of Police and other security agents to bring Dr. Saraki before his court unfailingly by 10 am tomorrow.

Whereas “the Senate President had stated and maintained that he is ready to submit himself to due process of the law on any issue concerning him, he also believes that he has an inalienable right to resort to the same judiciary for protection when he feels his fundamental rights are about to be infringed upon,” the statement said.

Further, the Senate President claimed that as a law abiding citizen and his absence from tribunal was based on legal advice he received from his counsel that it is not necessary for him to appear before the tribunal at this stage since the jurisdiction of the tribunal and the process of initiating the matter are being challenged before the Federal High Court Abuja, ITRealms gathered.

Following the adjournment for the determination of the motion on notice and the substantive suit before the Federal High Court to 30th of September and the appeal pending before the Court of Appeal adjourned to the 29th of September 2015, the Senate President has decided, to appear before the tribunal in the interim.

ITRealms gathered that Dr. Saraki took the decision to attend the Tribunal sitting to demonstrate his respect for the rule of law in spite of his personal reservation on the process of his trial and the purpose it may be intended to serve.

Cyriacus NnajiGEE

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