What CJN Onnoghen told CCB over asset declaration

TheNigerialawyer has obtained details of a statement given by
the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, to the Code of
Conduct Bureau which is accusing him of false asset
declaration.

In one note seen by this newspaper, Mr Onnoghen said he “forgot
to update his asset declaration, after the expiration of his 2005
declaration”.

Mr Onnoghen also explained that he believed that the form SCN
000015 filed in December 2016 after he emerged acting CJN would
cover for the period after his confirmation as CJN.

The case against Mr Onnoghen came after a group, the
Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative, sent a petition
against him alleging wrongdoing in his asset declaration.

The group said the CJN, Nigeria’s most senior judicial officer,
maintained illegal accounts containing foreign currencies and did
not declare them.

The group’s head, Denis Aghanya, is a member of the ruling All
Progressives Congress and a former publicity secretary of the
defunct Congress for Progressive Change.

The group said, its petition was brought “bearing in mind the
imminence of the 2019 elections and the overwhelming role of the
judiciary both before and after the election.”

A statement by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Saturday, said Mr
Onnoghen would be arraigned for alleged false asset charge on
Monday — seven days after the petition was brought.

In his response to the queries raised by the CCB, Mr
Onnoghen wrote as follows:

“My asset declaration form numbers SCN 00014 and SCN 00005 were
declared on the same day, 14/12/2016 because I forgot to make a
declaration of my assets after the expiration of my 2005
declaration in 2009. Following my appointment as acting CJN in
November, 2016, the need to declare my assets anew made me to
realize the mistake.

“I then did the declaration to cover the period in default. I
did not include my standard charted bank account in SCN 000014
because I believed they were not opened.

“I did not make a fresh declaration of asset after my
substantive appointment as CJN because I was under the impression
that my SCN 000015 was to cover that period of four years which
includes my term as CJN,” Mr Onnoghen said in his statement dated
January 11.

Mr Onnoghen was first appointed acting CJN on November 10, 2017
following the retirement of the former CJN, Mahmoud Mohammed.

His appointment as acting CJN came amidst criticism of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s failure to forward his name to the Senate for
confirmation as the most senior judge.

On February 8, 2017 Vice President Yemi Osinbajo returned Mr
Onnoghen’s name for confirmation to the Senate on March 1.

Mr Onnoghen was subsequently sworn in to office as Nigeria’s
17th CJN on March 8, 2017.