CCT clears supreme court judge charged with false assets declaration

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has discharged Sylvester Ngwuta, a supreme court judge standing trial for alleged false assets declaration.

The judge was first arraigned before the CCT last year on an 8-count charge bothering on false assets declaration.

At its sitting on Tuesday, the tribunal argued that Ngwuta cannot before tried before it unless he had been subjected to disciplinary processes of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The two-man panel, who gave the judgement, therefore quashed the charges and discharged the judge.

A federal high court in Abuja had earlier  freed the judge of corruption charges against him.

The panel made reference to an earlier judgement by the court of appeal in which the court held that by virtue of section 158 of the 1999 constitution, the powers to try judicial officers for any misconduct lies on the NJC.

Ngwuta is one of the federal judges whose residence, the Department of State Service (DSS) claimed it uncovered huge sums of money in various denominations.

Following the raid, the corruption charges filed against him was also dismissed by John Tsoho of the federal high court — also for the same reason that the NJC was set to treat the matter.