False Assets Declaration: Onnoghen absent as CCT begins proceedings
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen on Monday failed to appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to answer to the charges of alleged false assets declaration filed against him by the Federal Government.
About 50 Senior Advocate of Nigeria led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), had arrived the CCT in Abuja to defend the CJN who is to be arraigned before the Tribunal today.
As at the time of filing this report, Justice Onnoghen was not seen anywhere around the premises of the tribunal.
Some Senior Advocates of Nigeria in his defence team who were already seated before 9am awaiting the commencement of the proceedings included Olanipekun, Chief Chris Uche, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, Sebastine Hon, Chukwuma-Machukwu Ume, Kehinde Ogunwumiju,and A.T Kehinde.
All the senior lawyers are in court with their teeming juniors.
Meanwhile, a former Director of Public Prosecution in Kano State, Aliyu Umar (SAN), is going to lead the government prosecution’s team.
Umar was one of the senior lawyers appointed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), as part of what was meant to be the government’s prosecution team in 2016.
Umar led the government’s prosecution team that was to prosecute the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu for alleged forgery of Senate rules. The The Federal Government had slammed a six-count criminal charge against the CJN over his alleged refusal to declare his assets.
In a six-count charge filed earlier this week by officials of the CCB at the CCT in Abuja, Onnoghen was accused of failing to declare some assets allegedly traced to him, as required by law. Doosuur Iwambe -Abuja
All the senior lawyers are in court with their teeming juniors.
Meanwhile, a former Director of Public Prosecution in Kano State, Aliyu Umar (SAN), is going to lead the government prosecution’s team.
Umar was one of the senior lawyers appointed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), as part of what was meant to be the government’s prosecution team in 2016.
Umar led the government’s prosecution team that was to prosecute the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu for alleged forgery of Senate rules. The The Federal Government had slammed a six-count criminal charge against the CJN over his alleged refusal to declare his assets.
In a six-count charge filed earlier this week by officials of the CCB at the CCT in Abuja, Onnoghen was accused of failing to declare some assets allegedly traced to him, as required by law. Doosuur Iwambe -Abuja
