Onnoghen attacks CCT: You didn’t follow procedures in instituting case against me

The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Friday accused the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) of not following its set Standard Operation Procedures in instituting the case against him.

Onnoghen made the accusation during his resumed trial in Abuja.

Onnoghen is being arraigned at the CCT following a charge against him brought by the Code of Conduct Bureau in January.

The CCB accused Onnoghen of failing to declare his assets from June 2005, after he became a Justice of the Supreme Court till December 2016, two months after the Federal Government raided the homes of several judges, including those of the Supreme Court in October 2018.

According to the six-count charge brought against him, Onnoghen is also accused of false declaration of his assets, following his alleged failure to include some domiciliary accounts managed by the Standard Chartered Bank.

The accounts, created in 2011 and used for the transfer of foreign currencies, were omitted in one of two forms filled on December 14, 2016, by Onnoghen.

According to section 3(d) of the CCB act, the Bureau is empowered to receive complaints about cases of non-compliance with or breach of the act.

The section also empowers the CCB to refer such non-compliance to the CCT where the public officers accused of the alleged breach, will be tried according to the provisions of the act.

NAN reports that the prosecution team led by Aliu Umar, presented three witnesses before closing its case on March 21.