Nigeria-Chief Justice/Corruption Charges
Abuja, Nigeria - Feb 15, 2019 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Vehicle arriving
2. Press following suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen into court
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Uche, defense lawyer:
"The honorable chief justice of Nigeria appeared here before the tribunal voluntarily. And for us, we must begin by saying that today is indeed a very sad day for the judiciary, a very sad day for democracy, a very sad day for Nigeria."
4. Various of Onnoghen, Uche, others in court
5. Prosecution team in court
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Uche, defense lawyer:
"There is more behind this prosecution. Today a plea has been taken, arraignment has taken place, and the matter has been adjourned until the 11th day of March 2019 for all the other motions we have challenging the jurisdiction of this tribunal and challenging the competence of the chairman to continue with this trial."
7. Various of defense lawyers, others in court
Nigeria's suspended chief justice, accused of corruption, appeared for the first time before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja on Friday after refusing to appear at three consecutive court sittings.
At his first court appearance, Justice Walter Onnoghen pleaded not guilty to six counts of corruption charges.
He decided to turn up at court after the court issued an arrest warrant for him.
He is accused of running numerous undeclared accounts contrary to mandatory requirement for public servants. The accounts, worth millions of dollars, have now been frozen.
"The honorable chief justice of Nigeria appeared here before the tribunal voluntarily. And for us, we must begin by saying that today is indeed a very sad day for the judiciary, a very sad day for democracy, a very sad day for Nigeria," said Chris Uche, Justice Onnoghen's defense lawyer.
Despite his appearance, Justice Onnoghen's lawyers insist he can't be tried by the code of conduct court.
They see his trial as a political witch-hunt.
"There is more behind this prosecution. Today a plea has been taken, arraignment has taken place, and the matter has been adjourned until the 11th day of March 2019 for all the other motions we have challenging the jurisdiction of this tribunal and challenging the competence of the chairman to continue with this trial," said Uche.
The arrangement of Justice Onnoghen is historic. He was granted a court bail on condition that he will personally appear at all court proceeding until the case is disposed. He is also being investigated by the judicial council for corruption, though he denies all charges.
However, if he is found guilty, he could be dismissed and sent to jail.
Nigeria-Chief Justice/Corruption Charges
Dateline : Feb 15, 2019
Location : Nigeria
Duration : 1'34
Abuja, Nigeria - Feb 15, 2019 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Vehicle arriving
2. Press following suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen into court
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Uche, defense lawyer:
"The honorable chief justice of Nigeria appeared here before the tribunal voluntarily. And for us, we must begin by saying that today is indeed a very sad day for the judiciary, a very sad day for democracy, a very sad day for Nigeria."
4. Various of Onnoghen, Uche, others in court
5. Prosecution team in court
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Uche, defense lawyer:
"There is more behind this prosecution. Today a plea has been taken, arraignment has taken place, and the matter has been adjourned until the 11th day of March 2019 for all the other motions we have challenging the jurisdiction of this tribunal and challenging the competence of the chairman to continue with this trial."
7. Various of defense lawyers, others in court
Nigeria's suspended chief justice, accused of corruption, appeared for the first time before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja on Friday after refusing to appear at three consecutive court sittings.
At his first court appearance, Justice Walter Onnoghen pleaded not guilty to six counts of corruption charges.
He decided to turn up at court after the court issued an arrest warrant for him.
He is accused of running numerous undeclared accounts contrary to mandatory requirement for public servants. The accounts, worth millions of dollars, have now been frozen.
"The honorable chief justice of Nigeria appeared here before the tribunal voluntarily. And for us, we must begin by saying that today is indeed a very sad day for the judiciary, a very sad day for democracy, a very sad day for Nigeria," said Chris Uche, Justice Onnoghen's defense lawyer.
Despite his appearance, Justice Onnoghen's lawyers insist he can't be tried by the code of conduct court.
They see his trial as a political witch-hunt.
"There is more behind this prosecution. Today a plea has been taken, arraignment has taken place, and the matter has been adjourned until the 11th day of March 2019 for all the other motions we have challenging the jurisdiction of this tribunal and challenging the competence of the chairman to continue with this trial," said Uche.
The arrangement of Justice Onnoghen is historic. He was granted a court bail on condition that he will personally appear at all court proceeding until the case is disposed. He is also being investigated by the judicial council for corruption, though he denies all charges.
However, if he is found guilty, he could be dismissed and sent to jail.
ID : 8103405
Published : 2019-02-17 05:16
Last Modified : 2019-02-17 16:34:00
Source : China Global Television Network (CGTN)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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