The Federal Government has filed fresh charges against Justices Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court and Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on allegations of false assets declaration.
Ngwuta and Ademola are currently facing separate corruption charges before the Federal High Court, Abuja and the FCT High court respectively.
A statement issued by Salihu Isah, the spokesman to the Attorney Generation of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, indicated that charges were filed at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, by the principal state counsel at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Hajara Yusuf, on behalf of the AGF.
Isah stated that Justice Ngwuta allegedly engaged in private business as a public officer, as well as allegedly refusing to declare his assets as a public officer contrary to certain sections of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.
For instance, Justice Ngwuta was said to have engaged in purchase and sale of rice, palm oil and other related products, between June 2, 2011 and July 19, 2016; an action FG said was “contrary to Section 6 of the Code Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap C15 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 23(2) of the same Act.”
Ngwuta is expected to face a 10-count charge which includes his failure to declare “three duplexes at Chinedu Ogah Avenue, Ntezi, Aba in Abakaliki, while being a Justice of the Supreme Court” some time “between 2nd June 2011 and 19th July 2016.”
Ngwuta is also accused to have “failed to declare 22 plots of land at Igwe Uga Avenue, Abakaliki,” and another “six plots of land at Frank Okoroafor Avenue, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State … while serving as a justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
The federal government also accused Ngwuta of failing to declare his fleet of cars including a “Wrangler SUV, a Toyota SUV, and a BMW 5 series.”
Also, the Judge was accused of receiving through his Union Bank account, the sum of N36, 310,000 from one Ogudu Nwadire, “in the discharge of his official duties as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria”; an offence contrary and punishable under sections of the CCB act.
Justice Ademola, on the other hand will face a 2-count charge before the CCT for engaging in private business as a public officer and for making false assets declaration.
One of the counts stated that Ademola engages in the purchase and sale of foreign exchange currencies, while being a judge of the Federal High Court, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 6 of the CCB and Tribunal Act.