The Court of Appeal in Abuja has cleared the name of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, by overturning his 2019 conviction on charges of falsely declaring assets.
This decision reverses the ruling by the Code of Conduct Tribunal and follows the controversy surrounding his removal from office by then-President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 elections.
Onnoghen’s suspension, which came after he had appointed judges for election tribunals, was met with strong disapproval from the Nigerian Bar Association, labeling it a judicial coup. After nearly six years of legal battles, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, headed by Justice Mohammed Bello, acquitted Onnoghen on October 24, following a settlement agreement facilitated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
As a result, the federal government, through Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi, requested the court to cease further proceedings on Onnoghen’s appeals regarding his conviction, removal, and the confiscation of his assets. The settlement also included the court’s order to unfreeze Onnoghen’s bank account at Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited, marking the end of his lengthy legal ordeal.
