By Uche Onyeali
Court of Appeal in Abuja yesterday discharged and acquitted a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen, over false assets declaration charges brought against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.
AljazirahNigeria recalls that former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019, removed Onnoghen as CJN while a charge against him was still pending at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Onnoghen’s conviction on April 18, 2019 and forfeiture of his bank accounts by the Umar Yakubu Danladi-led tribunal was struck down by the appellate court, following the resolution of the issues that led to the trial and conviction.
Justice Abba Mohammed, in a judgement on the terms of settlement adopted by the federal government and Onnoghen, ordered that his bank accounts frozen since 2019 be unfrozen.
The bank accounts were maintained by the former CJN at Standard Chartered Bank in Wuse area of Abuja.
In the terms of settlement of the matter, it was unanimously agreed by parties that the Code of Conduct Tribunal was wrong in convicting the former CJN without resorting to the National Judicial Council, NJC, as a body constitutionally empowered to discipline judicial officers in Nigeria.
The terms of the settlement were endorsed by Onnoghen, two of his lawyers, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) and Dr Ogwu James Onoja (SAN), while the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) signed for the federal government.
Onnoghen’s lead counsel, Awomolo announced the terms of settlement dated October 24 but filed on November 1 and was confirmed by Tijani Gazali (SAN), who stood for the federal government at yesterday’s proceedings.
Justice Mohammed, who led a three-man panel of justices of the Court of Appeal, pronounced the settlement terms as the judgment of the court.
The CCT had in 2019, convicted Onnoghen in all the six-count charges of breach of Code of Conduct for Public Officers brought against him by the federal government while in office as head of the country’s judiciary.
Umar, in the lead judgement, ordered the immediate removal of Onnoghen from office as CJN.
The tribunal had also stripped him of all offices earlier occupied among which were the chairman of the NJC and also chairman of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
The tribunal also ordered the forfeiture of his five bank accounts and the money therein which Onnoghen did not declare in his asset declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, an agency of the federal government.
Although he had been on suspension since January 25, 2019 and had resigned on April 4, the tribunal nonetheless ordered his removal from office as CJN and also as the chairman of both the National Judicial Council and Federal Judicial Service Commission.
But dissatisfied with CCT’s decision, Onnoghen on April 29, 2019, approached the Court of Appeal with 16 grounds on why his conviction by the tribunal should be quashed.
He prayed the appellate court to void and set aside the CCT judgement delivered against him on April 18, 2019 on various grounds.
In his appeal marked CA/ABJ/375 & 376 & 377/2019, Justice Onnoghen through his lead counsel asked the appellate court to quash his conviction primarily on the ground of want of jurisdiction, bias and absence of fair hearing.
Onnoghen, among others, maintained that the Umar-led CCT erred in law and occasioned a miscarriage of justice against him when it failed to decline jurisdiction to entertain the six-count against him.
He also contended that the CCT chairman ought to have recused himself from presiding over his trial.
Ogun Monarch Urges Abiodun To Complete Wasinmi Airport Project
From Segun Ayinde, Abeokuta
Olu of Wasinmi, Ewekoro, Ogun State, Oba Sufianu Jolaosho has appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun not to abandon Wasinmi Passenger International Airport project initiated by the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, before the exit of his government in 2027.
It would be recalled that the project was part of the Ogun State Development Plan (2018-2030) that focuses on the safety of the people on transportation by air and the socio-economic development of the state.
However, Oba Jolaosho, while addressing newsmen yesterday at a press briefing to mark his first year on the throne, urged Abiodun to look into the project and keep his promise to the people of Wasinmi and the state that he would not abandon any project before leaving office in 2027.
He explained that having the airport project in Wasinmi would develop the community and attract local and international investors to come and invest their businesses, which in turn would provide direct and indirect jobs for residents and bring rapid development to the town.
The monarch, who said the governor had at a function promised to look into the project, stressed that having a passenger airport in Wassimi and agro cargo international airport in Ilishan Remo would boost economic growth and bring more development.
“When we went for a function at Itori, the governor spoke on the airport project at Wasinmi that it is still on his mind and we should exercise patience with him, that there are many projects on ground to be completed by his administration,” he noted.
The monarch also mentioned the 10 kilometres road construction project from the community to Ogun River, saying when it is completed, it would increase accessibility and mobility, as well as ease the transportation of people, goods and services.
“The contractors met me at the palace. My chiefs and I walked with them to see how the construction would go, they want to construct the road from Wassimi to Ogun River and I have told the contractors handling the road to employ our people,” he added.
