The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has at last succeeded in serving the criminal charges on false asset declaration on the person of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen preparatory for his arraignment on January 22, 2019 at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
However, the Tribunal will have to contend with orders of a Federal High Court and National Industrial Court both in Abuja which restrained it from proceeding with the arraignment of CJN pending the determination of two different suits before them.
The charges were served personally on the CJN on Monday 14, January 2018 by 3.30pm in his office at the Supreme Court of Nigeria Abuja. Justice Onnoghen personally received the charges and signed for it, a condition required before he could be properly arraigned at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
With the endorsement of the service of the charge , the coast is clear for the Federal Government to formally arraigned Justice Onnoghen on January 22, 2019 before Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar led-tribunal.
The CJN was billed to be arraigned on Monday, January 14, but he was however absent on the ground that the condition precedent for his appearance had not been lawfully met by the prosecution.
The Federal Government had filed criminal charges against Justice Onnoghen on the ground of his alleged failure to declare his asset as a substantive CJN as required by law.
