The Court of Appeal, Abuja, has overturned the conviction of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Samuel Walter Onnoghen, for alleged non-declaration of his assets.
The court, on Monday, also ordered the bank to unfreeze his accounts frozen in 2019, which are all maintained with Standard Chartered Bank (Nig.) Ltd.
The three-member Panel of the appellate court gave the order while ruling on an appeal filed by the former CJN, challenging his removal from office by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
The Court discharged and acquitted the former CJN of his conviction, setting aside the ruling of the CCT, led by Danladi Umar.
The appellate court further held that the CCT lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.
THE WITNESS had reported that Onnoghen may regain access to his frozen accounts and have the order barring him from holding public office for 10 years lifted.
The appeal court had in September granted the Federal Government’s request to settle out of court with the ex-CJN after he approached the court to challenge his removal from office.
In his appeal, marked CA/ABJ/375, 376, and 377/2019, and filed through his counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), Onnoghen sought to quash his conviction on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction, bias, and the absence of a fair hearing.
In April 2019, the CCT convicted Onnoghen on all six counts of breaching the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, brought against him by the Federal Government during his tenure as head of the judiciary.
The tribunal not only ordered his removal but also banned him from holding public office for 10 years and directed the forfeiture of five bank accounts he allegedly failed to declare between 2009 and 2015.
The accounts held at Standard Chartered Bank (Nig.) Ltd. are as follows:
Domiciliary US Dollar account (No. 870001062650) – $56,878.
Domiciliary Pound Sterling account (No. 285001062679) – £13,730.70.
Domiciliary Euro account (No. 93001062686) – €10,187.18.
e-Saver savings (Naira) account (No. 5001062693) – N12,852,580.52.
Another Naira account (No. 010001062667) – N2,656,019.21.
THE WITNESS recalls that Onnoghen’s removal from office was surrounded by controversy.
On January 25, 2019, about 29 days before the presidential election, former President Muhammadu Buhari suspended him and appointed Justice Tanko Muhammad, the next most senior jurist at the Supreme Court, as the acting CJN.
The suspension came less than eight hours after Onnoghen had announced his plan to inaugurate judges for the election petition tribunals, sparking accusations of political interference.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) described the suspension as a coup against the judiciary.
Two years later, Onnoghen revealed the alleged real reason behind his removal. He claimed it was linked to a rumour that circulated in January 2019, suggesting he had met with the then-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, in Dubai, the UAE.
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