The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, Thursday, said he has no case to answer with regards to the six-count charge the Federal Government preferred against him before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in Abuja.
Onnoghen, who is facing trial over allegations that he failed to declare his assets as prescribed by the law, as well as operated foreign bank accounts, contrary to the code of for public officers, insisted that FG failed to adduce any credible evidence to substantiate the charge.
He secured the leave of the Mr. Danladi Umar-led three-man panel tribunal to file a no-case-submission, in line with the provision of section 303 of the of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.
Onnoghen, who was suspended from office by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 25, indicated his intention to apply to be discharged and acquitted of the charge, after FG closed its case on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, the PW-2, who is a retired Director at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, Mr. Awal Yakassai, had told the Mr. Umar led three-man panel that contrary to what was alleged in the media, he said the suspended CJN owned only five houses.
He said it was not true that CCB investigators linked the ownership of 55 houses to the defendant.
The witness made the disclosure after he was shown copies of Justice Onnoghen’s asset declaration forms, which the Federal Government tendered in evidence before the CCT.
Mr. Yakassai admitted that the petitioner quoted details of Onnoghen’s asset declaration forms, his account numbers, verbatim, indicating that they had access to the forms in custody of the CCB.
FG which had earlier notified the tribunal that it would call a total of six witnesses in the matter, however, applied to close its case after it produced only three witnesses that testified before the CCT.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. Aliyu Umar, SAN, maintained that it would be unnecessary to call the remaining witnesses.
The case was subsequently adjourned to next week Friday for hearing of the defendant’s no-case application and for the adoption of the final written addresses by both the prosecution and the defence.
The development came on a day the third prosecution witness, PW-3, Mrs. Ifeoma Okagbue, a staff of Standard Chartered Bank in Abuja, denied allegation that the suspended CJN operated foreign bank accounts.
The PW-3, who identified herself as Onnoghen’s Relationship Manager, told the tribunal that contrary to what was contained in the charge, the five bank accounts that were linked to the defendant were domiciliary accounts that were opened at a branch of the bank at Wuse 2 in Abuja.
Okagbue told the tribunal that she started managing Onnoghen’s bank accounts since 2015, even as she gave a load down of both the opening and closing balance in 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.
Besides, the PW-3, said it was untrue that the defendant had either $1million or £1million in any of the five bank accounts she said were still active.
Under cross-examination, the witness, said she had also given evidence before the National Judicial Council, NJC, based on an invitation from the EFCC.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the CCB, Mr. Umar had earlier on Thursday, threatened to give 28 years jail term to journalists that misrepresent proceedings on the CJN’s trial,
Umar, who said he was displeased about “the distortion and misrepresentation” of what transpired at the tribunal last Monday by a section of the media, warned that he would henceforth wield his powers against journalists.
