₦airaland Forum

Suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen’s response to the query by Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has been revealed.

Onnoghen in his response said ‘My Asset Declaration for Nos. SCN000014 and SCN.0000 5 were declared on the same day, 14th December, 2016 because I forgot to make a declaration of May, 2005 declaration of my assets after the expiration of my 2005 declaration in 2009.

Onnoghen also said that he cannot remember the total amount he had in his reserve at the time but it spread from his practice days as a private legal practitioner from 1979-1989. Some of the deposits were result of forex trading. AGRICODE and other investment returns were from proceeds of his investments.

Read full statement below

DATE: 1st January, 2019
I WALTER S. N. ONNOGHEN of THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA hereby voluntarily depose to the statement averred herein knowing that whatever I write or state may be tendered against me as evidence in court. I also volunteer to state that the statement was not taken in evidence from me under duress but after the administering officer has explained and made known the details of the allegations against me.
Rank/Position: CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA
Date of Birth: 22nd DECEMBER, 1950
Residential Address: CTN DRIVE ASO VILLA, ABUJA
Date of 1st Appointment into Service: 1st OCTOBER, 1989
Date of Substantive Appointment: 7th March, 2017
Category of Appointment: TENURED
Duration of Tenure (if Applicable): FOUR YEARS
Date of Declaration of Assets: 14TH DECEMBER, 2016
Details of Companies/Enterprises: NONE
Bank account Details: STD. CHARTERED 0001062667 AND OTHERS AS PER MY ASSET DECLARATION FORM
No of Children: FOUR
State any other full Time Employment (if any): NIL
Name (s) of Spouse/Date of Birth: MRS NKOYO W. N. ONNOGHEN 11TH JULY, 1957
Name of Children/Date of Birth:
ORIMINIWEFA N. ONNOGHEN
EWUWUNI N. ONNOGHEN
EFA N. ONNOGHEN
TITE N. ONNOGHEN
Response to the Allegation(s):

My Asset Declaration for Nos. SCN000014 and SCN.0000 5 were declared on the same day, 14th December, 2016 because I forgot to make a declaration of May, 2005 declaration of my assets after the expiration of my 2005 declaration in 2009.
Following my appointment as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria in November, 2016 the need to declare my asset anew made to realize the mistake and then did the declarations to cover the period in default.

I did not include my Standard Chartered Bank Account in SCN. 000014 because I believed they were not opened during the period covered by the declaration. I did not make a fresh declaration of assets after my substantive appointment as CJN because I was under the impression that my SCN. 000015 was to cover the period of four years which include my leave as CJN. The deposits made in my US Dollar account No. 87000106250 with STD.
Chartered Bank of $10,000 at different intervals of 28/6/11 were sourced partly from my reserve and saving from my estacodes including medical expenses.

The same applies to my deposit of 27/7/11 of the sum of $10,000 twice. It is important to state that prior to my opening the US dollar account I had foreign currency which I kept at home due to the fact that there existed a government policy that proscribed the operation of foreign currency account by Public officers including judicial Officers. It was when I got to know that the policy had changed that I had to open the said account. Upon opening the account, I was made to understand that I cannot pay in more than $10,000 at a time and per payment slip.

I cannot remember the total amount I had in reserve at the time but it spread from my practice days as a private legal practitioner from 1979-1989. Some of the deposits are a result of forex trading. AGRICODE and other investment returns were from proceeds of my investments into them.

The withdrawals in the account are partly to pay children fees and upkeep abroad and further investments. My British Pound and Euro accounts with Chartered Standard Bank are savings accounts.
WALTER SAMUEL NKANU ONNOGHEN


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/onnoghens-response-to-code-of-conduct-bureau-query-revealed/

Forex trading lawyers go always find way to defend themselves. Anyway buhari should probe kano Governor instead

This old man no dey shame?

One thing i know for sure is this; he'll definitely have a far better response than Tanko.

Onnoghen is covered under the proviso in section 3 of the CCB Tribunal Act which says once a written admission is made, no reference to the tribunal shall be necessary. Secondly, even a deaf dumb and blind man knows his suspension and removal is illegal.

I'm curious to see what longerthroat Tanko's response will be.

Buhari that is fighting corruption in the judiciary yesterday is the one endorsing Gandollar today. Kwaruption my foot.

Poverty has eaten so deep inside us that anybody with N10m in the account is termed corrupt

mycar:
Poverty has eaten so deep inside us that anybody with N10m in the account is termed corrupt

It is not poverty, if your income cannot be adequately justified, it calls for questioning. That's a key to anihilating corruption to its minimum.

( He lies more than Satan) Buhari at Chatham House, February 2015. "Permit me to close this discussion on a personal note. I have heard and read references to me as a former dictator in many respected British newspapers including the well regarded Economist. Let me say without sounding defensive that dictatorship goes with military rule, though some might be less dictatorial than others. I take responsibility for whatever happened under my watch. I cannot change the past. But I can change the present and the future. So before you is a former military ruler and a converted democrat who is ready to operate under democratic norms." - GMB at Chatham House.

When there is poverty in the land, a prosperous man is termed corrupt.

Are you saying a lawyer of his status cannot have such wealth? I know some lawyers who are wealthy and not corrupt.

Do you know many lawyers get money with their letterhead and their signatures?
Do you know when they are involved in real estate, selling of land they get some percentage.

This man has been practicing as a private lawyer since 1979 till 1989 when Nigeria economy was great. And as a learned fellow, do you think he would not have invested then?

Do you know what rewards would have been given to him for winning cases for his clients when they were almost losing hope?

See law profession is very lucrative, especially if you are good at it.
We are not talking about charge and bail lawyers here. Do you know as a lawyer you can consults for various public and private organizations?

The point should be, did he steal government money? Did he avert justice? Did he collect kickbacks?

So unfortunate, the president fighting a man who declare some of his assets but the president failed to declare his own assets publicly.

Am I therefore supporting the CJN? Not at all. The CJN has erred....let him be death with.

I am of the opinion that the case should be about not declaring all asset and not the corruption tag on him.

If you work from 1979 to 2019...that's 40 years my friend. It is not a joke.

Many politicians today did not work for even 20 years yet the have more than this man who rose through the rank and file.
Do you think one is made a CJN overnight without track records of morality and sound judgement?

Politicians are destroying people who have laboured for years in their career.

May you not find yourself in Onnoghen's situation