…as bank releases balances on Onnoghen’s five accounts
The Federal Government on Thursday closed its case of false and non-declaration of charges preferred against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
Although, the prosecution led by Mr. Aliyu Umar (SAN) had proposed to call six witnesses to prove its case against the defendant, it closed its case after calling three of them.
Umar announced his decision to close the prosecution’s case after the third witness, Ifeoma Okeagbue, an official of Standard Chartered Bank, concluded her testimony on Thursday.
The prosecuting counsel said he had chosen to offer to the defence team the rest of his proposed witnesses, three of them, who were not called by the prosecution.
But the lead defence counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), rejected the offer.
He then sought the permission of the three-man bench led by its Chairman, Danladi Umar, to consult with the defendant who was seated in the dock.
After a brief interaction with the suspended CJN, Awomolo announced that Onnoghen had opted to file a no-case submission, implying that the defence will contend that the prosecution has failed to make a case against the defendant and there will not be any need for the suspended CJN to enter his defence.
Meanwhile, an official of Standard Chartered Bank, Ifeoma Okeagbue, gave some details of the balances on the five different accounts of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
Okeagbue, who is Team Leader, Priority Banking, as well as Onnoghen’s Relationship Manager at the branch of the bank in Wuse II, Abuja, said all the bank accounts were still active.
Testifying as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the suspended CJN on charges of false and non-declaration of assets, Okeagbue said the accounts opened separately between 2009 and 2010 were in euro, pounds, dollar and naira denominations.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Aliyu Umar (SAN), Okeagbue said the euro and the pounds accounts were savings, the dollar account was current and the two other accounts were in naira denominations, with one being savings account and the other current.
Reading from the statements of the accounts earlier admitted as exhibits, Okeagbue said, “On the account 5001062686, the opening balance in January 2018 was €30,178.58.
“As at December 2018, the balance was €10,187.18.
“On account 5001062693, at January 2018, it is with opening balance of N6,411,312.77.
“At December 2018, the balance is N12,852,580.52
“On account 5001062679 the opening balance as at January 2018 was £39,456.08 and by December 2018 the balance was £13,730.70.
“On account 0001062667, the opening balance as at January 2018 was N24,280,904 and as at December 2018, the balance was N2,656,019.21.
“On account 0001062650, as of January 2018, the opening balance was $80,824.25, and by January 2019, the balance was $56,878.”
