THE Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, will return to the Court of Appeal in Abuja tomorrow to continue his legal fight against the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) ruling that resulted in his removal from office in 2019.
In the appeal he filed with the court since 2019, the former head of the Nigerian judiciary is seeking to have the CCT’s decision, delivered on April 18, 2019, annulled and set aside.
Justice Onnoghen, represented by his lead counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, is requesting the appellate court to overturn his conviction on the grounds of lack of jurisdiction, bias, and denial of fair hearing.
In 2019, the CCT found Justice Onnoghen guilty on all six counts of violating the code of conduct for public officers brought against him by the Federal Government while he was serving as the head of Nigeria’s judiciary.
The lead judgment, issued by CCT Chairman Danladi Yakubu Umar, mandated Onnoghen’s immediate removal from his position as Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The tribunal also stripped him of all previous positions held, including chairmanship of the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
Furthermore, the tribunal ordered the forfeiture of five bank accounts belonging to Onnoghen, along with the funds within them, which he failed to declare in his asset declaration form submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, a Federal Government agency.
