Until Saturday, January 11, 2019, not many Nigerians would have heard of the name Anti-Corruption And Research-Based Data Initiative (ARDI).

It was on that day that the news broke of the petition filed by the civil rights group against the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN),Justice Walter Onnoghen, at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) alleging that he owns ” sundry accounts primarily funded through cash deposits made by himself up to as recently as 10th August 2016, which appear to have been run in a manner inconsistent with financial transparency and the code of conduct for public officials.”

It said Onnoghen did not declare the accounts as required by law.

That petition is now threatening to consume Onnoghen, who was sent on suspension yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The ARDI petition, dated January 7, 2019, was received two days later by the CCB, according to online publication, TheCable, which broke the news.

Things moved in quick succession with the Federal Government filing a six-count charge against him for alleged failure to declare some of his assets, including about $3million.

The $3million is said to be lodged in five accounts.

The domiciliary and Naira accounts in the Standard Chartered Bank are coded as USD account No. 870001062650; Euro account No. 93001062686; Pound Sterling A/CNo. 285001062679; e-Saver Savings (Naira) account No. 5001062693; and a Naira A/C No. 010001062667.

The charge sheet is dated January 10 and was filed on January 11.

A CCB investigator, Mr. James Akpala, said in an affidavit in support of the charges against Onnoghen, that the filing of the case stemmed from a petition against the CJN.

Akpala was silent on the name of the petitioners.

He merely said: “I know as a fact that the Head Office of the Bureau received a petition alleging that the CJN failed to declare his assets according to the law.”

ARDI describes itself as “a whistleblower and an Anti-Corruption Awareness disseminator, whose effort is to strengthen our democracy and ensure transparent, accountable and responsive governance devoid of corruption for our society.”

The civil society group said its petition was necessitated by “the imminence of the 2019 General Elections and the overwhelming roles of the Judicial Arm both before and after.”

It claimed that Onnoghen owns “sundry accounts primarily funded through cash deposits made by himself up to as recently as 10th August 2016, which appear to have been run in a manner inconsistent with financial transparency and the code of conduct for public officials.”

It alleged that Onnoghen made five cash deposits of $10,000 each on March 8, 2011 into Standard Chartered Bank Account 1062650; two separate cash deposits of $5000 each and four deposits of $10,000 each on June 7, 2011.

Five similar cash deposits of $10,000 followed on June 27, 2011, and another four deposits of $10,000 each the following day.

Onnoghen, according to the petition, failed to declare his assets immediately after taking office, contrary to section 15 (1) of Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act; and that he did not comply with the constitutional requirement for public servants to declare their assets every four years during their career.

It added that the CJN appeared “to have suppressed or otherwise concealed the existence of these multiple domiciliary accounts owned by him, as well as the substantial cash balances in them.”

It said the CJN’s financial transactions appeared suspicious and not justifiable by his lawful remuneration at all material times.

Detectives investigating the finances of the suspended CJN last weekend turned their attention to his salary account.

Sources said they may have unearthed evidence that the salary account laid untouched in the bank for 18 months at a stretch.

http://thenationonlineng.net/onnoghens-trouble-started-2/

okay

" the imminence of the 2019 general elections and the overwhelming roles of the judicial arm both before and after"

Undeclared accounts plus frustrating FG efforts in fighting corruptions.

Legal hunt legal

once a moral compass becomes faulty it can never point in the right direction
Simple the chief justice appears compromised, he has to step aside and prove himself in court and if no fault found returned to his position, why the desperation to hold on to his seat at this critical time when corrupt politicians are desperate for a compromised judiciary

The hues and cries arising from this CJN's suspension is very very funny to me.

Is there a precedence to this?

What was the reaction to same by those threatening fire and brimstone now including our learned colleagues of the luminous profession or were they all blind then because it was convenient to them?

Is our fraudulently drawn constitution explicitly clear on issues and devoid of unwarranted loopholes they now use to evade justice after causing much havoc to our national lives and thereafter term it technicalities?

How couldn't no one including the CJN's in the past and now see how utterly skewed and rubbish our so called constitution is and how justice in Nigeria was always ever a mirage.

Perhaps this is the moment of reckoning...time to go back to the drawing board and toss the present shitt to the bins and get us something truly constitutional to run a progressive country upon.

Does the CJN have a case to answer and by extension further delivering justice to the highest bidder?

People against his suspension should better move on, because Buhari will never go back on his words.


It is a sure done deal


PDP Dubai plan has been successfully aborted.


Buhari is the new political marradona of Nigeria always 10 steps ahead of PDP

they should impeach Buhari on Monday, nothing will happen

intruxive:

once a moral compass becomes faulty it can never point in the right direction
Simple the chief justice appears compromised, he has to step aside and prove himself in court and if no fault found returned to his position, why the desperation to hold on to his seat at this critical time when corrupt politicians are desperate for a compromised judiciary

the chief judge even postponed the NJC Meeting indefinetly for fear of been suspended by NJC council.

ORIENTATION101:
the chief judge even postponed the NJC Meeting indefinetly for fear of been suspended by NJC council.

You can imagine, once all the vultures gathered together in broad day light under that umbrella I knew they could see a rotten meat they would soon feast on. So the chief justice was their hope of raping nigeria and returning back to power after they will have DEFINITELY lost the election.
They didnt see buhari sucker punching them at all, expect more cries and blackmail

He is a goner.

It's not about going back, he doesn't have the powers to do so in the first place so it's null and void

fk001:
People against his suspension should better move on, because Buhari will never go back on his words.


It is a sure done deal

DMerciful:
It's not about going back, he doesn't have the powers to do so in the first place so it's null and void

Buhari has already sworn in the New CJ.



That PDP Dubai plan with the former CJN is Void, that's why they are in panick.

And some people want this brazen corruption sweep under carpet...

Sai Baba till haters commit suicide.

Good Buhari will kill Nigeria

Eeya

The way all those corrupt clowns are exhausting their all on this matter in disguise of morality is just making me laff...running helter skelter trying to trigger a constitutional crisis because of a corrupt CJN that has clearly been doing their bidding.

Buhari can't tackle the kind of monumental corruption Nigeria has been eroded in, democratically!!

If possible the constitution should be suspended along with the CJN sef

S

That is why politics is a dirty game
it is said, when involved in politics at every level, one must learn how to avoid skeletons at all cost, or *If there must be skeleton* in the closet, then the entire closet should b buried very deeply.

i will leave you with this

Why must there be skeletons atall?

And why must the southerners closet which is ladened with skeletons of all kinds get exposed every blessed time?

And finally why must the southerners fall prey always?

see

NgeneUkwenu:
See how his trouble started.

The day he collected 5 Billion naira from Wike to sell Judgements to the PDP in 2016.

PDP never lost any case, he was a member of the panel since 2009..

Onnoghen is a useless corrupt animal.

And Buhari your father, is a terrorist, corrupted, evil, hateful, satanic agent , demonic looter, looting NNPC. Oh my GOD help Buhari to destroy and bury Nigeria. ,

Those who have left the substance of the matter, which is non-declaration of assets, to embark on a wild goose chase must know that they are part of the problems of this country.
Those cheering the CJN have been busy trying to depict the issue as executive interference in another arm of government.
They are failing to realise an important fact that those who have the privilege of holding exalted offices in trust for the rest of Nigerians should lead by example.

It was speculative for some commentators to think that the CJN was being targeted so that he could be removed and replaced with someone who will work in the interest of the government in the February elections.
The most important question should be whether the CJN broke the law or not in failing to declare his assets.

One major and incontrovertible fact which has emerged from the controversy over the CJN’s alleged failure to declare his assets is his own reported admission that he made a mistake by forgetting to declare a number of his assets.
The number one judicial officer is also reported to have expressed ignorance about the time space within which he should have made the declaration.”


We are not talking of a magistrate or a high court judge but a judge of the Supreme Court, who happens to be the number one judicial officer of the land; we must forget sentiments and look at facts.”

The posturing of some South-South governors in defence of the CJN should be treated as treason since they swore to protect and preserve the constitution.

There was a country!

And the person who recommended the suspension is a saint? Selective corruption fight.

NgeneUkwenu:
See how his trouble started.

The day he collected 5 Billion naira from Wike to sell Judgements to the PDP in 2016.

PDP never lost any case, he was a member of the panel since 2009..

Onnoghen is a useless corrupt animal.

You Nigerians don't k ow what Buhari has in mind for you?
What concerns me most is the lives lost daily because of Buhari. That is my major concern. I cry for Nigerians if this man wins.

I may be full blooded anti APC, but if the cjn of the country is truly corrupt let him face justice. I can never be part of evil in this country. But how about gandollar and the 40 thieves? How about the numerous criminals in APC Please let's not support thieves be it PDP or APC .

Wa