Date: 2014-02-01

An Abuja Federal High Court has dismissed the N5b suit Senator Bukola Saraki filed against Kwara APC chieftain Mohammed Dele Belgore SAN over the latter's 2012 newspaper interview accusing Saraki's government of corruption.

Saraki was Kwara governor between 2003 and 2007. Belgore had dismissed the Shonga Farm project - Saraki administration's flagship programme - as a monumental fraud, insisting Kwarans have benefitted nothing from the multi-billion naira investment.

The court had in 2012 struck out the libel case for what the judge called the lack of diligence prosecution by the plaintiff but the matter was again refiled and then fully heard on its merits.

Ruling on the matter on Wednesday, Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja High Court held that Saraki did not prove the libel case as required in law and so dismissed the suit as lacking in merits without granting the plaintiff's reliefs.

Of the three questions that Belgore raised in his defence, Justice Ademola resolved one in favour of Saraki and the other two in favour of Belgore.

Belgore had asked the court to determine whether there was a publication, whether directly incriminating comments were made against the person of Saraki, and whether - based on the last question - Saraki is entitled to compensation of N5b.

Justice Ademola held that there was indeed a publication but ruled that no direct comments were made against Saraki as an individual. The judge also held that Saraki's case rested on "mere innuendoes" which Ademola noted were neither pleaded by the plaintiff nor proven during the trial.

The judge awarded no cost to both parties.

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