The Court of Appeal in Abuja has officially discharged and acquitted Justice Walter Onnoghen, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), from his conviction for false asset declaration imposed by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). This conviction was annulled after the appellate court addressed the underlying issues that had prompted his trial.
On January 25, 2019, just 29 days before the presidential elections, former President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Onnoghen from his judicial position and appointed Justice Tanko Muhammad, the next most senior jurist, to lead the judiciary.
Delivering the judgment, Presiding Justice Abba Mohammed acknowledged the terms of settlement reached between the federal government and Onnoghen. This included the restoration of Onnoghen’s four forfeited bank accounts. Shortly after the ruling, Onnoghen’s legal representative, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Adegboyega Awomolo, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, for their roles in resolving this matter.
Onnoghen’s suspension came just hours after he had announced his intention to inaugurate judges for the upcoming election petition tribunals. The action taken by ex-President Buhari sparked mixed reactions from both the judiciary and the public, with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) condemning it as a coup against the judiciary.
Previously, Onnoghen had been convicted on six counts of corruption charges brought by the Federal Government, accused of submitting a false declaration to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
The parties agreed that the Code of Conduct Tribunal lacked the jurisdiction to try and convict Onnoghen without involving the National Judicial Council (NJC). Additionally, the tribunal did not have the authority to proceed with the case after Onnoghen had submitted his voluntary retirement letter, which was accepted by the then-President. Lastly, all parties committed to taking necessary actions to uphold the settlement terms.
