The Court of Appeal in Abuja has acquitted former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, overturning his 2019 conviction by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on charges of false asset declaration.
Onnoghen’s removal from office, initiated by a suspension from then-President Muhammadu Buhari just before the 2019 elections, had sparked widespread controversy.
His suspension, which occurred shortly after he appointed judges for election tribunals, was strongly criticized by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) as a “coup against the judiciary.”
Following nearly six years of legal proceedings, a three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammed Bello, discharged and acquitted Onnoghen on October 24.
The acquittal was facilitated through a settlement agreement brokered by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The federal government, represented by Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, urged the court to halt further hearings on Onnoghen’s appeals against his conviction, removal, and asset forfeiture.
As part of the settlement, the court ordered the unfreezing of Onnoghen’s account at Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited, concluding a protracted legal battle for the former Chief Justice