By Ameh John
The Code of Conduct Tribunal on Friday admitted the embattled Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen to bail on self-recognisance.
After a heated exchange between the CCT Chairman, Justice Danladi Umar and Justice Onnoghen’s lead counsel, Mr. Chris Uche (SAN), over a convenient date for the adjournment of the suit, the tribunal reluctantly adjourned the suit till March 11, 2019, for hearing of all pending applications before it.
Earlier, the prosecuting lawyer, Mr. Musa Ibrahim appealed to the CCT Chair to accede to Uche’s request of March 11for adjournment.
Onnoghen had earlier pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge bordering on improper assets declaration after the charges were read to him.
Onnoghen who had shunned the tribunal proceedings since the case began in January this year.
He had challenged the tribunal’s authority to try him and obtained restraining orders form the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court both in Abuja.
On February 13 this year, the CCT Chairman, Justice Danladi Umar issued a bench warrant for his arrest after running out of patience with with the embattled CJN.
Aside allegation that he failed to disclose his assets as prescribed by law, FG, in the charge that was filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, equally accused the CJN of operating foreign back accounts.
The prosecuting agency alleged that contrary to relevant laws regulating conduct of public office holders, the CJN, maintained a domiciliary foreign currencies account that comprised of Dollars Account, Pound Sterling Account and Euro Account.
It would be recalled that a civil society group, the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI), had petitioned the CCB, in a document dated January 7, 2019, accusing Onnoghen of owning “sundry accounts primarily funded through cash deposits made by himself up to as recently as 10th August 2016 which appear to have been run in a manner inconsistent with financial transparency and the code of conduct for public officials”.
According to the petition, Onnoghen was alleged to have made five different cash deposits of $10,000 each on March 8, 2011, into Standard Chartered Bank Account 1062650; two separate cash deposits of $5000 each followed by four cash deposits of $10,000 each on June 7, 2011; another set of five separate cash deposits of $10,000 each on June 27, 2011, and four more cash deposits of $10,000 each the following day.
Onnoghen was also accused of not declaring his assets immediately after taking office, contrary to section 15 (1) of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, as well as not complying with with the constitutional requirements for public servants to declare their assets every four years during their career.
