Court of Appeal acquits former Chief Justice

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday has discharged and acquitted former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen of his conviction for false asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Onnoghen’s conviction, delivered on April 18, 2019, by the tribunal chaired by Umar Yakubu Danladi, was overturned by the Appellate Court following the resolution of the issues that led to his trial and conviction.

Justice of the Appeal Court, Abba Mohammed, in a judgment based on the terms of settlement reached between the federal government and Onnoghen, ordered the return of four bank accounts that had previously been forfeited.

In a statement, Onnoghen’s legal team, comprising Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) Adegboyega Awomolo and Ogwu Onoja, expressed their gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation for facilitating the resolution of the case.

Recall that former President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Onnoghen from office on January 25, 2019, just 29 days before the presidential election, and appointed Tanko Muhammad as the acting CJN in his place.