Following a request from the Federal Government, the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, in Abuja, has fixed February 4 to resume proceedings in the case against suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Walter Onnoghen.
Recall that Onnoghen is being tried on a six-count charge bordering on false declaration of assets. He was suspended on January 25, by President Muhammad Buhari.
The CCT, in a statement on Thursday, said the Federal Government had applied for continuation of hearing in Onnoghen’ s case.
The federal government letter was signed by two legal officers at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, Musa Ibrahim Usman and Fatima Danjuma Ali.
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In the statement issued by the CCT and signed by Head, Press & Public Relations, Mr. Ibraheem Al-Hassan, he said the Federal Government, via the letter it sent through the CCB on Wednesday, drew attention of the Tribunal’s three-member panel to a ruling of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which threw out Onnoghen’s appeal which formed the basis for the indefinite adjournment of his trial.
According to Al-Hassan, Federal Government’s request read in part: “This case came up for hearing of preliminary objection to the jurisdiction of the Tribunal on the 28th of Junuary, 2019 but the Tribunal could not proceed due to the pendency of the case at the Court of Appeal. “However, in the wake of this afternoon, 30th January, 2019 the Court of Appeal has thrown out the appeal. “Consequently on the above, we urge the Honourable Tribunal to give us a date for resumption of the trial subject to the convenience of the Tribunal, Most obliged my Lord.”