Judgement in the trial of Walter Onnoghen, the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), for a six-count charge of fraudulent declaration of assets will be given on Thursday, April 18, the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has announced.
Danladi Umar, Chairman of the tribunal, made the announcement on Monday at the resumed hearing on the matter.
Umar fixed the date after by Aliyu Umar (SAN), prosecuting counsel, and Okon Efut (SAN), defence counsel, had adopted their final addresses.
While the defence argued that the prosecution failed to prove the six counts beyond reasonable doubt as required by law and that the statement made by Onnoghen to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) was not confessional as alleged by the prosecution, the prosecution maintained that it had proved Onnoghen guilty beyond reasonable doubts and therefore urged the tribunal to so declare Onnoghen.
In adjourning till Thursday for judgement, Umar also said verdict would be delivered on a suit challenging the jurisdiction of the tribunal to hear the case, and on another asking him to disqualify himself from further presiding over the case for alleged bias.
Onnoghen turned in his resignation letter as CJN to President Muhammadu Buhari in the first week of April, a day after the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended his compulsory retirement for misconduct.
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