CCT shifts CJN Onnoghen’s judgment till 12 noon today
Andrew Orolua, Abuja
The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), in Abuja has shifted its judgment on six count charge against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN Justice Walter Onnoghen earlier scheduled for 9am to 12 noon.
No reason was given by the registrar of the tribunal who communicated the shift to lawyers on phone .
Justice Onnoghen who was at the tribunal around 8.30 am and his team of lawyers drove off as soon as they got the message.
The judgment will come after two rulings on two motions earlier filed by Onnoghen and the federal government challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal and asking tribunal chairman to recuse himself from the trial on account of bias.
As well as the one praying tribunal for an order directing justice Onnoghen to step aside from office event though it has been overtaken by event of his resignation.
Tribunal chairman, Danladi Umar reserved the judgment till this morning on Monday after the lawyers representing the parties adopted their final written addresses.
Adopting his final written address on Monday Onnoghen’s counsel, Okon Nkanu (SAN), adduced reasons while the charges against Onnoghen should be dismissed.
He said that charges against his client should be dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove the essential ingredients of false assets declaration as contained in the charges beyond reasonable doubt. That the charges were also unknown in law.
The federal government through her prosecution counsel, Aliyu Umar (SAN) disagreed with Onnoghen submissions and asked the tribunal to convict him on each of count because they have been proved beyond any reasonable doubt.
“All the essential ingredients of the charges have been proved beyond all reasonable doubts,” he told the tribunal.
He insisted that the defendant did not declare his asset between 2005 to 2015 and that when he did so on December 14, 2016, five bank accounts with Standard chartered bank opened between 2009 and 2011 were not declared.
