(LOCAL) Federal Government Closes Case Against Justice Onnoghen

 
   The federal government has closed its case against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen.

   The federal government closed its case after calling just three witnesses that testified before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT. Federal government had initially expressed its intention to produce a total of six witnesses to substantiate all the allegations it levelled against the embattled CJN.

   The CJN intends to move a motion of no case submission on March 29th. Earlier in the proceeding, the third prosecution witness, PW-3, Mr. Ifeoma Okagbue, a staff of Standard Chartered Bank in Abuja, told the tribunal that it was not true that the defendant possessed either $1million or £1million in any of the five bank accounts that necessitated the charge.

   Okagbue who told the tribunal that she started managing Onnoghen’s bank accounts since 2015, gave a load down of both the opening and closing balance of all the accounts from January 2018 to January 2019. She said the accounts were all linked to one Bank Verification Code, BVN, adding that the bank had upon securing an approval from the defendant, diverted funds from the accounts into various profit yielding ventures.

    The PW-3 told the tribunal that profits that accrued from the investments were credited back into the accounts. While two of the accounts are in Naira, the three others were Pounds Sterling, Euro and Dollar accounts. The witness told the tribunal that all the accounts were domiciliary, and were opened and managed at the branch of the bank in Wuse 2, Abuja. Also yesterday, a retired Director at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, Mr Awal Yakassai, was called upon to testify as the second prosecution witness, PW-2.

   Onnoghen, is facing trial over his alleged failure to declare his assets. The witness told the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Mr Danladi Umar, that contrary to what was alleged in the media, he said the suspended CJN owned only five houses. Also yesterday, the tribunal threatened to sentence any journalist who misrepresent proceedings at the tribunal.

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