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The Code of Conduct Bureau has slammed corruption charges
against the Chief Justice of Nigeria at the Code of Conduct
Tribunal, court documents showed.
Walter Onnoghen became the Chief Justice in March 2017,
less than six months after the homes of several federal judges,
including those of the Supreme Court, were searched in an
anti-corruption raid.
The government said it was only in 2016 after the controversial
crackdown on judges that Mr Onnoghen partially declared his asset,
but still failed to declare a series of bank accounts, denominated
in local and foreign currencies, linked to him at a Standard
Chartered Bank branch in Abuja.
The government consequently filed six charges of non and
fraudulent declaration of assets by Mr Onnoghen, with trial
expected to commence on January 14 at the Code of Conduct
Tribunal.
The CCT said in a separate statement Saturday afternoon that
trial would commence on Monday at the premises of the Federal
Capital Territory High Court in Jabi, commercial neighbourhood in
Abuja
A spokesperson for the Supreme Court did not immediately return
requests for comments Saturday afternoon.
The trial could further strain relations between the judicial
and the executive arms of the federal government, which had been
largely tense since the raid on federal judges’s homes in October
2016.
Two judges of the Supreme Court were amongst those whose houses
were raided. They were charged for corruption, but none of them has
been found guilty of wrongdoing.
PREMIUM TIMES obtained copies of the January 10 charges on
Saturday.
The charges appeared to have been triggered by a group.
The group, the Anti-corruption and Research based Data
Initiative, had sent the petition below against the CJN to PREMIUM
TIMES.
The complaints were sent to the Code of Conduct Bureau and the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
PETITION ON SUSPECTED FINANCIAL CRIMES AND BREACHES OF THE CODE
OF CONDUCT BUREAU REQUIREMENTS AGAINST HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE W. S.
NKANU ONNOGHEN, GCON, THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA
We write to bring to your attention serious concerns bothering
on flagrant violations of the law and the Constitution of Nigeria
by the Honourable Mr. Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, the
Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Specifically, we are distressed that facts on the ground
indicate the leader of our country’s judicial branch is embroiled
in suspected financial crimes and breaches of the Code of Conduct
Bureau and Tribunal Act.
The particulars of our findings indicate that:
His Lordship Justice Walter Onnoghen is the owner of sundry
accounts primarily funded through cash deposits made by himself, up
to as recently as 10th August 2016 which appear to have been run in
a manner inconsistent with financial transparency and the code of
conduct for public officials.
To give specific examples, here are some instances of cash
deposits by Justice Onnoghen:
Justice Onnoghen made five different cash deposits of $10,000
each on 8th March 2011 into Standard Chartered Bank Account
1062650;
On 7th June 2011, two separate cash deposits of $5000 each were
made by Justice Walter Onnoghen, followed by four cash deposits of
$10,000 each;
On 27th June 2011, Justice Onnoghen made another set of five
separate cash deposits of $10,000 each and made four more cash
deposits of $10,000 each on the following day, 28th June 2011;
Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen did not declare his assets
immediately after taking office, contrary to Section 15 (1) of Code
of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act;
Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen did not comply with the
constitutional requirement for public servants to declare their
assets every four years during their career;
The Code of Conduct Bureau Forms (Form CCB 1) of Hon. Justice
Walter Onnoghen for 2014 and 2016 were dated and filed on the same
day. The acknowledgement slip for Declarant SCN: 000014 was issued
on 14th December 2016. The acknowledgement slip for Declarant SCN:
000015 was also issued on 14th December 2016, at which point
Justice Onnoghen had become the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The affidavit for SCN: 000014 was sworn to on 14th December
2016;
The affidavit for SCN: 000015 was sworn to on 14th December
2016;
Both forms were received on 14th December 2016 by one Awwal
Usman Yakasai.
The discrepancy between Justice Walter Onnoghen’s two CCB forms
that were filed on the same day is significant.
In filling the section on Details of Assets, particularly Cash,
in Nigerian Banks, His Lordship as Declarant SCN: 000014 mentioned
only two bank accounts:
Union Bank account number 0021464934 in Abuja, with balance of
N9,536,407, as at 14th November 2014.
Union Bank account number 0012783291 in Calabar, with balance of
N11, 456,311 as at 14th November 2014.
The sources of the funds in these accounts are stated as
salaries, estacodes and allowances.
As Declarant SCN: 000015 His Lordship however lists seven bank
accounts:
Standard Chartered account 00001062667, with balance of
N3,221,807.05 as at 14th November 2016.
Standard Chartered account 00001062650, with balance of
$164,804.82, as at 14th November 2016.
Standard Chartered account 5001062686, with balance of EUROS
55,154.56, as at 14th November 2016.
Standard Chartered Bank account 5001062679 with balance of
GBP108,352.2, as at 14th November 2016.
Standard Chartered Bank account 5001062693 with balance of
N8,131,195.27, as at 14th November 2016.
Union Bank account 00021464934 with balance of N23,261,568.89,
as at 14th November 2016.
Union Bank account 0012783291 with balance of N14,695,029.12, as
at 14th November 2016.
The foreign currency Standard Chartered Bank accounts that were
declared by Declarant SCN: 000015 have been in existence since at
least 2011.
Prior to 2016, His Lordship appears to have suppressed or
otherwise concealed the existence of these multiple domiciliary
accounts owned by him, as well as the substantial cash balances in
them.
The Standard Chartered Bank dollar account 1062650 had a balance
of $391,401.28 on 31st January 2011;
The Standard Chartered Bank Euro account 5001062686 had a
balance of EURO 49,971.71 on 31st January 2011;
The Standard Chartered Bank pound sterling account 5001062679
had a balance of GBP23,409.66 on 28th February 2011.
It is curious that these domiciliary accounts were not declared
in one of the two CCB Forms filed by Justice Onnoghen on the same
day, 14th December 2016.
The Naira bank accounts in b (i) and b (v) above are also
omitted in the CCB form of Declarant SCN: 000014.
It is our humble view that, with the foregoing, we have laid
before you facts which support the assertion that Justice Walter
Onnoghen may have committed a breach of the provisions of the Code
of Conduct Bureau Act as follows:
Non-declaration of assets immediately after taking office in
several capacities prior to becoming the Chief Justice of Nigeria
contrary to section 15 of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act;
Non-declaration of assets immediately after taking office as the
Chief Justice of Nigeria contrary to section 15 of the Code of
Conduct Bureau Act;
55Non-declaration of assets at the statutory intervals after
taking office throughout his career as a federal judicial officer
contrary to section 15 of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act;
False declaration of asset, and in particular, concealment of
significant and declarable assets in the form of sundry bank
accounts and the balances therein, contrary to section 15 of the
Code of Conduct Bureau Act;
Consequent to this information, it is our expectation and
request that you will discharge the constitutional duty of your
office and take the necessary lawful actions to uphold and enforce
the law in this matter by involving sister agencies such as:
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to conduct
comprehensive statistical analysis of cash transactions on all the
accounts for cases of suspicious transactions.
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to determine
whether Standard Chartered Bank has not breached statutory duties
to the Nigerian State in favour of, or in connivance with, His
Lordship on Suspicious Transactions Reporting (STR).
The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission
(RMAFC), the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the National Judicial
Council (NJC) to determine whether the disclosed financial
transactions are justified by His Lordship’s lawful
remuneration.
As ordinary citizens, motivated by a clear belief that there
must be high standards in public life, we have acted to expose a
possible criminal breach of our laws. We believe it is now your
duty to act, and to do so promptly.
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