Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Danladi Umar, Monday summoned the standard chartered bank account officer, Ifeoma Okagbue, over the case of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen for questioning.
The accounts officer, according to the chairman would appear on the adjournment date scheduled for Thursday, March 21.
This development followed the objection raised by the defence counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, saying the prosecution Witness, PW1, James Akpalla was not the right person for cross-examination on the bank documents tendered before the tribunal.
Awomolo affirmed that Akpalla was neither the maker or signatory to the bank documents and, therefore not qualified to be cross-examined but the account officer.
However, Awomolo cross-examined Akpalla on other contentious issues bordering on dates of the petition, lists of Witness, exhibits, charges, completion of investigations and summon by the tribunal to Onnoghen.
Under cross-examination, Akpalla admitted that the separate list of witnesses, exhibits and six-count charges preferred against Onnoghen were all dated January 10.
Also, it was admitted that investigation was completed on January 11, the same day CCB investigation team obtained Onnoghen’s statement from his office at the Supreme court of Nigeria, Abuja.
It was on this premise that Awomolo asked the Witness, ” Are you not surprised that within 24 hours, you completed investigation, obtained defendant’s statement and six-count charges were simultaneously filed against him at the tribunal.
“When you were obtaining a statement from the defendant, you didn’t tell him that charges have already been framed?
But in his response, Akpalla said, “The investigation team had no idea”.
