Trial of suspended CJN resumes at CCT

The trial of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen resumed at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, (CCT) on Monday with the first prosecution witness testifying against the CJN.

Mr James Apala, a Senior Investigation Officer of the Code of Conduct Bureau told the tribunal that the suspended CJN submitted two assets declaration forms on Dec. 14, 2016.

He said the one of the forms contained two of Onnoghen’s accounts with Union Bank while the other contained seven bank accounts, two kept with Union Bank and five others with Standard Chattered Bank.

Apala who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr Aliyu Umar, said the first form earlier admitted as exhibit 2, covered the period June 8, 2005 when Onnoghen was appointed a justice of the Supreme Court till Nov. 22, 2014.

He said the second form marked as exhibit 3 was declared after the defendant assumed office as CJN.

Fielding questions from the prosecuting counsel, Apala said the two forms were received by Mr Awal Yakassai, an official of the bureau on Dec. 14, 2016.

He confirmed that the two forms had acknowledgment slips bearing the same date.

Under cross examination, ,by the defence led by Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN, Apala said he had no idea of the number of assets declaration forms the bureau had issued from 1993 to 2019.

The prosecution, which preferred six counts of false and non-declaration of assets against the suspended CJN, opened its ca‎se on Monday calling Apala as its first witness.

Apala had earlier ended his evidence-in-chief during which he was led by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Aliyu Umar.

Six sets of documents, including the suspended CJN’s two assets declaration forms and bank account documents, were tendered and admitted as exhibits in his evidence-in-chief.