There are fresh indications that the embattled Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has more “suspicious” funds in his accounts.
Detectives also revealed “suspicious” transactions, including an $800,000 Standard Chartered Bank investment subscription.
Some $630,000 was also lodged in some of the accounts, described as “structured payments,” and deposited in tranches of $10,000 each.
A source close to the investigation noted that most of the lodgments, which occured between 2012 and 2016, were undeclared in Justice Onnoghen’s assets declaration form.
It will be recalled that the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has restricted the operation of five accounts with about $3million
The accounts in the Standard Chartered Bank are USD No. 870001062650; Euro account No. 93001062686; Pound Sterling A/CNo. 285001062679; e-Saver Savings (Naira) account No. 5001062693; and a Naira A/C No. 0001062667.
The restriction was informed by the position of the detectives that most of the lodgments and transactions are “suspicious”.
A report of the new revelations read, “pattern of structured payments of $10,000.00 each in 2012. For example, a total of $630,000.00 was credited to the accounts using this pattern.
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”Similarly structured payments of $10,000.00 amounting to $297,800.00, $50,000.00 and $36,000.00 were deposited in the account in 2013, 2015 and 2016 respectively.
“There was also a credit of $121,116.00 into the account from 2014 to 2016 from Life Friend Plc. The payments were in four installments, of $30,279.00 each. These payments suggest the suspect has investments.
“A payment at $482,966.00 from Alicia Redemption Pro and shortly after, $800,000.00 was invested in SCB Investment subscription. We are in the process of verifying these transactions;
“Other suspicious transactions in the account are credit of $19,764.00 from Pur of Noble and seven (7) payments of $3,250.00, each amounting to $22,750.00 from Lloyds TSB. On the pound sterling (GBP), the investigative team discovered “a self- transfer of £40,268.40 into the account on May 31 2016.”
“There were also self-deposits by the suspect of £49,760.00 from July 2015 to September, 2016 but the balance as at September 30, 2016 was £108,348.00,” the report added.
There were also concerns with Naira transactions from his account. The report continues that “the following highlights some of the suspicious activities in the account: A transfer of N41,262.000.00 ($260,000) was made from the dollar account. The money was used to make payment of N41million to Ad hoc Committee on the Sale of Federal Government Houses, suggesting that he bought a property with proceeds of the transfer;
“The only other significant transactions in the accounts are six (6) structured cash payments of N500,000.00 each and one payment of N700,000.00 amounting to N3.7mlllion from November, 2013 to August, 2016.
Detectives are now investigating the he transactions, to determine whether or not they violated the “Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” which was put in place by the National Judicial Council.