The suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, Monday, alleged that his Assets Declaration Form 001 filled in 2014 and 2015 before the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) were tampered with.
Onnoghen made the accusation at his resumed trial on alleged non-declaration of some of his assets before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
The prosecution after calling its 1st witness, James Akalla, a Senior Investigative Officer with the CCB, had sought to tender the said documents in support of his evidence against Onnoghen.
However when the documents were shown to the defendant, Onnoghen through his counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, said a careful look at the documents showed that they had been tampered with.
According to him, the 2014 form has become loose, part of it mutilated and has become blue in a way.
Awomolo said a similar observation was made in the 2015 form with some duplications and omission of some pages.
“We have some reservation on the documents. We will not object in the interest of justice but we have reservations that would be addressed at the end of the day,” the senior lawyer stated.
Meanwhile, Mr. James Apala, Senior Investigation Officer of the Code of Conduct Bureau, had told the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday that the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria submitted two assets declaration forms on December 14, 2016.
Apala said one of the forms had two Union Bank accounts of the suspended CJN while the other had seven bank accounts with two kept with Union Bank and five others with Standard Chartered Bank.
He was testifying as the first prosecution witness in the trial of the suspended CJN on the charges of false and non-declaration of charges preferred against the embattled top judicial officer.
The witness, led by the prosecuting 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 November 22, 2014.
He said the second form 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 an official of the bureau, Awal Yakassai, on December 14, 2016.
He confirmed that the two forms had acknowledgement slips bearing the same date.
Straightnews gathered that during the weekend, EFCC operatives visited Onnoghen’s Farm in Nasarawa State and allegedly made away with some vital documents belonging to the farm.
