There is no deal between the
Presidency and embattled Justice Walter Onnoghen on his exit as Chief Justice
of Nigeria (CJN),The Nation learnt last night.
Onnoghen who had been on
suspension since January 25 following allegations of corruption against him by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), turned in his letter of resignation on Thursday.
Then followed speculations that
he had reached an agreement with the Presidency for the purpose of giving him a
soft landing after the National Judicial Commission (NJC) recommended that he
should be compulsorily retired.
However, highly placed Presidency
sources said yesterday that at no time was a deal reached between the seat of
power and Onnoghen or his representatives on how he should leave office.
Sources said his ongoing trial
for non-declaration of assets would run its course.
There was anxiety yesterday over
his fate at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) which is handling the case.
Some forces in government are
said to be pushing that the trial should go on, some members of the bench and
the bar are in support of the NJC decision that Onnoghen be retired.
A top source in CCT said the
tribunal will go ahead with its sitting on April 15 unless there is a notice of
discontinuance of the trial from the prosecutors.
The tribunal has given the
Onnoghen’s lawyers up till Tuesday (April 9) to file their final address.
The prosecutors have an April 11
deadline to submit their final address.
The prosecutors were locked in a
marathon session yesterday to prepare their final address.
According to the tribunal, all
addresses will be adopted on April 15 by the two parties.
A top source, who spoke in
confidence, said: “The fate of Onnoghen is still dicey. It is unclear whether
or not the Presidency will see through the conclusion of his trial by the CCT.
“There are also some alleged
infractions which were investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC). We do not know if he will face trial or not on these.
“While some in government and
rights groups have been calling for his trial, some members of the bench and
the bar are trying to lobby the Presidency to adopt the soft-landing window
provided by the NJC.
“President Buhari is awaiting the
legal opinion he commissioned on NJC’s report and he might unfold his position
when he returns from Jordan.”
Another highly-placed source said
of Onnoghen:
*Isn’t his retirement notice or
resignation an afterthought?
* Does retirement amount to
acquittal of any offence?
* If he wanted retirement, why
did he allow this case to the extent of attracting political propaganda against
the government?
* Why would NJC recommend
retirement with full benefits without deterrence for Onnoghen?
* Shouldn’t the outgoing CJN
forfeit suspicious funds in his accounts, especially monies outside his
salaries, investment and official allowances?
*Will it not amount to double
standards to slap Onnoghen on the wrist while other Nigerians go to jail for
lesser offences?
* Will a political pardon for
Onnoghen put an end to the Cold War between the Executive and the Judiciary?
*Won’t any pardon for the
outgoing CJN mess up the anti-corruption agenda of Buhari?
The source added: “There are many
salient points surrounding this Onnoghegate. The outgoing CJN said he decided
to retire or resign to save the Judiciary.
“By the time the legal advice is
out and digested by the President, we will know where we are going.
“Even in the Presidency, we know
that Onnoghen’s retirement or resignation has made the case at hand to be
interwoven.”
Sources at the CCT said: “We have
not received any notice of the discontinuance of the trial of the CJN. We do
not know whether or not the prosecutors will file any application next week.
“Going by our schedule, the trial
continues. The CCT has directed Onnoghen’s lawyers to submit their final
address on Tuesday (April 9) and the prosecutors will take their turn on April
11.
“All parties are to appear before
the tribunal on April 15 for the adoption of their addresses. But if the
government chooses to withdraw the charges against Onnoghen on April 15, the
tribunal has no case than to strike out the matter.”
It was gathered that the federal
government prosecutors met yesterday to compile their final address.
A source in the prosecuting team
said: “We have not got any directive from the government that we should either
stay action or discontinue the trial of Onnoghen.
“We are holding a session to wrap
up our final address and meet the timeline set by the CCT.”
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