Appeal Court Adjourns Hearing On Onnoghen’s Appeals Again

Emmanuel AmudaFebruary 20, 2019

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The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has adjourned four appeals filed by Walter Onnoghen, the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), over his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), as well as the tribunal’s order for his suspension.

Onnoghen is standing trial before the CCT over allegations of fraudulent declaration of assets.

This is the third time the appeals have been adjourned.

At an earlier sitting on February 12, 2019, the case was adjourned as the three-man panel led by Justice Abdul Aboki did not form a quorum.

At another sitting on February 15, 2019, Oyin Koleosho, counsel to the Nigerian government, applied for an adjournment to allow Onnoghen’s prosecutor the opportunity to take charge of the case, in line with a directive by Abubakar Malami (SAN), the Attorney-General of the Federation. The request for adjournment was granted till Wednesday, February 20, 2019.

However, at the resumed sitting on Wednesday, Umar asked for another adjournment for amendment of various parts of the papers filed by the lawyers from the Federal Ministry of Justice, as well as a response to a fourth appeal.

The appeals bordered on jurisdiction of the CCT to hear the case, the legality of the ex parte order upon which Onnoghen was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari, the refusal of the CCT on the rulings by the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court to halt the trial, and the warrant issued for the suspended CJN’s arrest. Although, the CCT has withdrawn the warrant for his arrest as Onnoghen appeared before the Tribunal on February 15, 2019.

The appeals were adjourned till February 27 for hearing.