The Court of Appeal in Abuja has cleared former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, of the charges that led to his removal in 2019.
On Monday, the court acquitted him of the conviction for false asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Onnoghen was convicted on April 18, 2019, by a tribunal led by Danladi Umar. However, the Appellate Court has now thrown out that conviction after resolving the issues that caused the trial.
Justice Abba Mohammed, who led the panel, ordered the return of Onnoghen’s four frozen bank accounts. This decision came as part of a settlement agreement between the federal government and Onnoghen.
After the judgment, Onnoghen’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation for helping to resolve the matter.
Onnoghen was suspended by former President Muhammadu Buhari on January 25, 2019, just 29 days before the presidential election. His suspension raised concerns and was called a “coup against the judiciary” by the Nigerian Bar Association. It came shortly after he announced plans to appoint judges for election petition tribunals.
The former Chief Justice faced six counts of corruption, with the government accusing him of making a false declaration to the Code of Conduct Bureau.
After nearly six years of legal battles, the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammed Bello, acquitted Onnoghen following a settlement agreement reached with the federal government.
The Attorney General, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, encouraged the court to stop further hearings on Onnoghen’s appeals regarding his removal and conviction.
The appellate court has ordered the federal government to unfreeze Onnoghen’s account at Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited immediately.
