Onnoghen’s asset declaration forms not verified after 3 years

Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Thursday experienced a hectic day as the prosecution Witness, Usman Yakassai admitted that Justice Walter Onnoghen’s asset declaration forms submitted about three years ago to the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, hitherto, have not been verified.

Yakassai also said there are three stages of verification involving the asset declaration forms, namely time of submission, Conference and physical verifications.

Yet, the witness maintained that none of the stages has been complied with.

This development followed cross-examination of the Witness by the defence counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN.

Awomolo also queried how the petitioner, Dennis Aghanya who was said to be the Executive Secretary, Anti-Corruption and Research-Based Data Initiatives had access to the archives of the CCB against the backdrop its protection of information arising from asset declared in confidence.

The defence counsel’s interrogation arose from his observation that the petition as submitted by Aghanya was quoting word for word, figure for figure of the content of the asset declaration forms filled and submitted by Onnoghen in 2014 and 2015.

Yakassai in his response said, “I don’t know”. But he admitted that the CCB former chairman, Sam Saba under whose time the incident happened had powers and discretion to permit access to the archives.

Further, the Witness said, “Inside the forms submitted by Onnoghen he declared that he has only five buildings “.

This number of declared buildings was contrary to the claims by the Federal Government, saying the buildings were twenty-five.

But Onnoghen even claimed that one of the five buildings he declared was sold to him by the Federal government.

However, it would be recalled that Aghanya was said to be the media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari between 2009 and 2011; while he was also a pioneer National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.