Breaking: FG ordered to unfreeze former CJN Onnoghen’s accounts after the Appeal Court acquits him.
Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), was cleared by the Court of Appeal in Abuja of the Code of Conduct Tribunal’s conviction for making a false asset declaration.Graduate internship at ExxonMobil
The former CJN was found not guilty by a three-member appeal court panel headed by Justice Abba Bello Mohammed, who also mandated that all of his frozen bank accounts be unfrozen right now.
Mohammed’s decision is predicated on the parameters of the settlement that his legal team and the office of Lateef Fagbemi SAN, the Attorney General of the Federation, came to.
Remember how Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2019? On the advice of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), which found him guilty on April 19, 2019, the President took this action.
The Acting CJN, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, was sworn in after that.
Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, Onnoghen’s main attorney, told the court during Monday’s resumed sitting that the parties had reached a settlement and accepted the terms of the agreement, in accordance with the court’s previous order.
The AGF’s attorney, A. Gazali SAN, accepted the conditions of the settlement and agreed with Awomolo’s arguments.
Regarding the appeal, the appellate court later concluded that it is established that the Code of Conduct Tribunal lacked the authority to trial and sentence the appellant, a judicial officer, without first turning to the highest court in the land, the National Judicial Council (NJC).
Second, even after the appellant submitted his voluntary retirement letter, which the Federal Republic of Nigeria accepted, the appellate court ruled that the panel lacked jurisdiction to try and condemn him.
“The National Judicial Council must be consulted in order for the Code of Conduct Tribunal to have the authority to consider the case.”
“The appellant’s Standard Chartered Bank (Nig) Limited, Wuse 2, Abuja bank accounts that were frozen by the ruling must be unfrozen immediately.
The appeal court ruled that “Parties shall take all necessary steps to give positive effect to these terms of settlement.”
Awomolo asked the appellate court to issue additional consequential orders following the decision.
The appellate court judge declared, “Therefore, the appellant herein is hereby discharged and acquitted.”
By dismissing the former CJN without first consulting the NJC, the executive administration at the time went beyond its bounds, according to Awomolo, who viewed the decision as a change in judicial policy.
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the AGF for expediting the settlement.
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