ONNOGHEN: CCT adjourns proceedings indefinitely

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Monday adjourned its proceedings over Justice Walter Onnoghen indefinitely. The court said its decision is pending the determination of the application filed at the Appeal Court against the trial of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria.

Onnoghen is facing a six count charge over non declaration of assets.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Mr. Danladi Umar, said its decision was based on the order of the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

“Inview of the Court of Appeal order for stay of proceedings and out of respect for the Court of Appeal, the tribunal hereby adjourn this matter sine-die (indefinitely) pending the determination of the Appeal before the Court of Appeal”, Mr. Umar ruled.

The second member of the tribunal, William Agwadza Atedze, was however absent at the ruling on Monday, as only the CCT Chairman and the third member of the panel, Mrs. Julie Amabo, attended the sitting.

Read also: ONNOGHEN: Both Buhari and CJN Onnoghen erred on the side of the law

It will be recalled that Mr. Atedze had openly disagreed with the Tribunal’s Chairman over the procedure adopted in trial of the suspended CJN.

Umar had relied on section 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, to reject a motion Justice Onnoghen filed for the tribunal to suspend his trial and await the outcome of his appeal, Atedze, on the other hand, relied on section 287(3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and plethora of Supreme Court decided cases, to insist that the CCT panel ought to have respected four different interim injunctions that restrained all the parties, including the tribunal, from taking further steps in the matter.

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