Tension As CJN Justice Walter Onnoghen,Faces Trial - FOW 24 NEWS

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Tension As CJN Justice Walter Onnoghen,Faces Trial

Condemnations have continued to trail an attempt by the Federal Government to arraign the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) today, over alleged false declaration of assets.....

According to media reports which was validated by statement of the CCT, a six-count charge bordering on the alleged offence has been filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) against Justice Onnoghen and that the CCT will commence the trial on Monday, January, 14th.
If the arraignment sails through, Justice Onnoghen will go down in history as the first Chief Justice of Nigeria to be arraigned in court.
Already, the action has received wide condemnation from the political class, the legal community and civil society organisations.
Reacting, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in a statement, condemned the Federal government’s action describing it as an assault, intimidation and desecration of the Judiciary, which it said, must stop.
In the statement signed by its president, Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), the NBA warned government not to create an impression that “agencies of the Executive arm of the FGN are interested in destabilizing and laying prostrate the other arms of the Government and in the process eliminating and destroying any and all voices of dissent and checks and balances.
“That is not desirable for the democracy that we strive to build neither is it good for the image of the Government. We urge restraint on the part of Government and demand that the CCB follow due process in proceeding against the CJN by complying with Nganjiwa’s Judgment (supra) and other similar judicial precedents.
The statement reads in part: “This continuing attack on the justice sector must cease forthwith. FGN and its agencies must desist from debasing the rule of law.
In Nganjiwa v FRN (supra), the Court of Appeal made reference to Rule 3 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of February 2016 (Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers)and held that the said Rule 3 makes provision in relation to fidelity to the Constitution and the Law.
“The provisions in regard to assets declaration as they apply to all public officers, including the CJN, are contained in both the Constitution and the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act 1991, the enabling law that establishes both the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the CCT. The fidelity which judicial officers therefore owe ‘to the Constitution and the Law’ pursuant to Rule 3 of the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers encompasses compliance with the provisions relating to assets declarations as contained in the Constitution and the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act. “Any infraction in that regard by a judicial officer, as the Court of Appeal rightly held, constitutes a misconduct by the judicial officer and becomes the subject matter for discipline by the NJC as a condition precedent to any possible prosecution of the judicial officer by any of the FGN’s prosecuting agencies.
“Why has FGN decided to embark on this anomalous course of charging the CJN before the CCT without first presenting whatever facts it purportedly has against His Lordship to the NJC for its deliberation and determination? The Petition that triggered the CCB action was on its face received by the Bureau on 09 January 2019 and the Charge was promptly drafted and is dated the following day, 10 January 2019 – giving the CCB a record 24 hours for completion of its investigation and the drafting of the said charge and ancillary processes. “If one contemplates the fact that the CCT arraignment is scheduled to take place on January 14, 2019, we have in all, total record number of three working days between the receipt and processing of the petition, investigation, preparation of charge and ancillary processes and the arraignment.
“Such unprecedented speed and efficiency in Nigeria’s criminal justice administration is not acceptable.”
Also Senate President Bukola Saraki has advised the Executive Arm to ensure that its plans to put on trial the nation’s chief judicial officer, Justice Walter Onnoghen, does not cause chaos in the judicial system and that the due process is not compromised.
Saraki in a statement, noted that he believes that if the Government has genuine reason to put the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria on trial, it should ensure that every step in the process is transparent and the normal process as provided by the law is followed to the letter.
He said a situation where the petition which triggered the trial was submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) on Wednesday January 8 and by January 10 on Friday, the Chief Justice was presented with it for his reply only for the charges to be drafted that same day and filed in the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), all this taking place within three days and commencement of trial fixed for Monday, January 14, already indicate unnecessary haste and short-circuiting of the process of fair hearing.
Tension As CJN Justice Walter Onnoghen,Faces Trial Reviewed by FOW 24 News on January 14, 2019 Rating: 5 Condemnations have continued to trail an attempt by the Federal Government to arraign the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter ...

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