[UPDATED] Supreme Court Justice, Hon Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta Dies 

Hon Justice Syĺvester Nwali Ngwuta of the Supreme Court has been
reported dead.

Accordingly to the information made available to
TheNigerialawyer Justice  Ngwuta died in the early morning of
today.

A source informed TNL that he died in his sleep at his official
residence in Abuja.

He died at the age of 69+ this morning.

Justice Ngwuta Was getting set for his retirement from the
Supreme Court on 30th March, 2021 upon attainment of 70 years
mandatory retirement age.

May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace! Amen

TheNigerialawyer recalls justice on Nigeria’s Supreme Court was
charged with 16 counts of corruption and laundering 505 million
naira (US$ 1.6 million) via a local company.

A raid by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) on the
home of Sylvester Ngwuta on Oct. 8 uncovered a bag containing 27
million naira in cash and four passports, which he is accused of
using interchangeably. Ngwuta was released on a bail of 100 million
naira on Monday.

The Nigerian Bar Association has denounced the raids and accused
the DSS of running a “Gestapo-style” operation.

Prosecutors cautioned against bail for Ngwuta, saying he could
use his influence as a senior judge to hobble the case against
him.

Ngwuta has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He was suspended from the court during his trial at the Code of
Conduct Tribunal and the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The trials were later suspended following a judgement of the
Court of Appeal.

After three years of a ‘technical suspension’, from the bench of
the Supreme Court, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta has now resumed his
duties.

Indication of his resumption emerged on Monday as he joined the
members of the Supreme Court’s bench at the special court session
marking the commencement of the new 2019/2020 legal year of the
apex court.

Ngwuta with some judges whose houses were raided by the
operatives of the Department of State Service in August 2016, was
asked to step down from the bench pending the conclusion of the
criminal trial against him.

The National Judicial Council had said the affected judges were
not suspended as they continued to earn their pay for the period
but were only barred from judicial functions.

Some of the judges had been recalled.

But Justice Ngwuta and some of the judges were subsequently
charged with corruption.

Ngwuta was charged with money laundering before the Federal High
Court in Abuja, and with assets declaration breaches before the
Code of Conduct Tribunal.

But both cases were dismissed in 2018 following a Court of
Appeal’s verdict which prohibited the trial of a serving judge
without being first disciplined by the National Judicial
Council.

Ngwuta has not been part of any sitting or ceremony of the court
from 2016 until Monday, September 23, 2019

Hon. Mr. Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta was born in 1951 in
Amofia-Ukawu, Onicha Local government Ebonyi State. His lordship
had his basic education in the Eastern part of Nigeria and got his
LLB in University of Ife (Now Obafemi Awolowo University). lle-ife
in 197- and BL at the Nigerian law school in 1978.

My lord, Hon. Mr. Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, is an hard
working and dedicated public servant, who was a primary school
teacher, far back as 1966, he became a clerical officer (Account
Ministry of Education in

(Divisional School Board, Afikpo) August 1971). He was deployed
as the state counsel in charge, Ministry of justice, Oturkpo, Benue
State, during his National Youth Service Programme in August
1978-october 1979. He started his private legal practice at
Abakaliki in July 1978-October 1995, from where he was appointed a
judge of the High Court Abia state in October 1995 and there
promoted to the Court of Appeal on 22nd May, 2003, was finally
sworn-in as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in May
2011.

His lordship was the chairman of judicial panel of inquiry into
the Obegu Enyibichirikwo Disturbance 1997-1998 and has been a
member of several Election Petition Tribunal, Governship and
legislative House Election Petition Tribunal; Nasarawa State held
at Lafia in February 1999, National Assembly Election Petition
Tribunal Plateau State held at Jos in April 1999, among others.

Hon Justice Syĺvester Nwali Ngwuta of the Supreme Court has been
reported dead.

Accordingly to the information made available to
TheNigerialawyer Justice  Ngwuta died in the early morning of
today.

A source informed TNL that he died in his sleep at his official
residence in Abuja.

He died at the age of 69+ this morning.

Justice Ngwuta Was getting set for his retirement from the
Supreme Court on 30th March, 2021 upon attainment of 70 years
mandatory retirement age.

May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace! Amen

TheNigerialawyer recalls justice on Nigeria’s Supreme Court was
charged with 16 counts of corruption and laundering 505 million
naira (US$ 1.6 million) via a local company.

A raid by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) on the
home of Sylvester Ngwuta on Oct. 8 uncovered a bag containing 27
million naira in cash and four passports, which he is accused of
using interchangeably. Ngwuta was released on a bail of 100 million
naira on Monday.

The Nigerian Bar Association has denounced the raids and accused
the DSS of running a “Gestapo-style” operation.

Prosecutors cautioned against bail for Ngwuta, saying he could
use his influence as a senior judge to hobble the case against
him.

Ngwuta has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He was suspended from the court during his trial at the Code of
Conduct Tribunal and the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The trials were later suspended following a judgement of the
Court of Appeal.

After three years of a ‘technical suspension’, from the bench of
the Supreme Court, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta has now resumed his
duties.

Indication of his resumption emerged on Monday as he joined the
members of the Supreme Court’s bench at the special court session
marking the commencement of the new 2019/2020 legal year of the
apex court.

Ngwuta with some judges whose houses were raided by the
operatives of the Department of State Service in August 2016, was
asked to step down from the bench pending the conclusion of the
criminal trial against him.

The National Judicial Council had said the affected judges were
not suspended as they continued to earn their pay for the period
but were only barred from judicial functions.

Some of the judges had been recalled.

But Justice Ngwuta and some of the judges were subsequently
charged with corruption.

Ngwuta was charged with money laundering before the Federal High
Court in Abuja, and with assets declaration breaches before the
Code of Conduct Tribunal.

But both cases were dismissed in 2018 following a Court of
Appeal’s verdict which prohibited the trial of a serving judge
without being first disciplined by the National Judicial
Council.

Ngwuta has not been part of any sitting or ceremony of the court
from 2016 until Monday, September 23, 2019

Hon. Mr. Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta was born in 1951 in
Amofia-Ukawu, Onicha Local government Ebonyi State. His lordship
had his basic education in the Eastern part of Nigeria and got his
LLB in University of Ife (Now Obafemi Awolowo University). lle-ife
in 197- and BL at the Nigerian law school in 1978.

My lord, Hon. Mr. Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, is an hard
working and dedicated public servant, who was a primary school
teacher, far back as 1966, he became a clerical officer (Account
Ministry of Education in

(Divisional School Board, Afikpo) August 1971). He was deployed
as the state counsel in charge, Ministry of justice, Oturkpo, Benue
State, during his National Youth Service Programme in August
1978-october 1979. He started his private legal practice at
Abakaliki in July 1978-October 1995, from where he was appointed a
judge of the High Court Abia state in October 1995 and there
promoted to the Court of Appeal on 22nd May, 2003, was finally
sworn-in as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in May
2011.

His lordship was the chairman of judicial panel of inquiry into
the Obegu Enyibichirikwo Disturbance 1997-1998 and has been a
member of several Election Petition Tribunal, Governship and
legislative House Election Petition Tribunal; Nasarawa State held
at Lafia in February 1999, National Assembly Election Petition
Tribunal Plateau State held at Jos in April 1999, among others.