The federal government on Thursday closed its case against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, who is standing trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over alleged false assets declaration.
The prosecution closed its case after calling three witnesses. The prosecution had earlier listed six witnesses to testify against Onnoghen.
The suspended CJN is being prosecuted on a six count charge bordering on alleged failure to disclose some of his assets in his Asset Declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
However prosecution counsel, Aliyu Umar (SAN), yesterday announced that the prosecution was closing its case shortly after the defendant finished cross examination of the third prosecution witness, Ifeoma Okagbue, an official of Standard Chartered Bank.
Umar said the others witnesses could still be called to the stand if the defence wants to cross-examine them.
“I have called three witnesses. If the defence needs them I can call the other three,” the lawyer said.
But, counsel to the defendant, Adegboyega Awomolo SAN, said the defence does not need the witnesses, adding that the prosecution can go ahead to close its case.
Shortly after the prosecution announced the closure of its case, Awomolo informed the tribunal of its intention to invoke section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015. He pleaded with the tribunal to allow him prepare a written address and urged the chairman to order the registry to make record of proceedings available to him to guide him in the written address.
“We intend to take advantage of section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 on no-case submission,” he said.
“If your lordship permits me to write a written address, I’m praying to be given proceedings of 18th and today.”
The prosecution did not object to the application, prompting the tribunal chairman to make an order on the registry to avail parties in the matter with the record of proceedings.
He also ordered that the record must be made available to the parties on Monday and adjourned hearing in the no case submission to March 29.
Earlier, Okagbue in her evidence in Chief told the tribunal that Onnoghen maintains five different accounts with her bank in Abuja. According to her, two of the accounts are naira accounts, one saving and the other current, while the remaining three in pounds, dollars and euro.
She disclosed that as December 2018, one of the naira accounts has N2.6m while the other has N12.8m, the euro account as at December 2018, 10, 187 euros, the pounds Sterling accounts as at December 2018, had 13,730 pounds and the dollar account as at January 2019 has $56, 878.
The witness said she met the defendant once in 2015 as a Relationship Manager.
Under cross examination by Onnoghen’s lawyer, Okagbue said that the five accounts are domicile in the Wuse branch in Abuja and that Onnoghen never made any foreign transfer from the accounts.
She also confirmed that the five accounts have one Bank Verification Number (BVN).
The witness however admitted that Onnoghen has a facility of $500,000 as at January,2019 with the bank secured by his investment in bonds and other investment.
She further admitted that Onnoghen as a discipline account holder was encouraged by bank to invest in profit yeilding investment and that interest in the investment are regularly credited to his account, adding that the bank made investment on Onnoghen’s behalf from his account.
Felix Omohomhion, Abuja
