CCT decides Justice Onnoghen fate April 18

By Andrew Orolua, Abuja

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) will on Thursday , April 18 deliver judgment on the six count charges of false assets declaration filed against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN  Justice Walter Onnoghen..

The tribunal will also  deliver its  rulings on two applications filed by the defendant and prosecution lawyers before proceeding to give its final judgment on Thursday this week.

Chairman of the tribunal Danladi Umar on Monday  reserved the final judgment  after the defendant lawyer Okon Efut  SAN and the prosecution lawyer Aliyu Umar SAN have adopted their written addresses.

Adopting his address  Onnoghen’ s lawyer Efut urged the tribunal to dismiss the six count charge because they were not known to law. The defendant can only be punished for offence known to law, he said.
Onnoghen also asked the tribunal to dismiss the charges because the prosecution lawyer did not prove the ingredients of the element of the offence of false asset declaration.

But the prosecution lawyer Umar SAN asked the tribunal to discountenance the submissions of the defendant lawyer as misconception. According to him, the prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

He said that Onnoghen failed to declare some of his  assets and he, Onnoghen admitted the offence in exhibit 6 when he stated that he “forgot”.to declare the bank accounts.
Umar urged the tribunal to find Onnoghen guilty as charged and convict him.