The Federal Government stated that the evidence the Justice allegedly tampered with were a cash sum of N27million and three exotic cars.
The prosecution alleged that after Justice Ngwuta was granted administrative bail by DSS in Abuja on November 9, 2016, he made a call to someone in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, to move the sum of N27m cash and three exotic cars to some other locations in order to conceal them.
Justice Ngwuta is represented by the same lawyer representing Bukola Saraki, Kanu Agabi (SAN).
The cars, which were said to have been recovered by the DSS from where they were moved to, were a Hummer Jeep, a Wrangler Jeep, and a BMW 5 Series sedan.
The government, however, stated that the N27m cash along with vital documents moved in bags from the bathroom of the Judge's Abakaliki home was not recovered because it had been “dissipated”.
Ngwuta, who appeared before a Federal High Court in Abuja, sporting a grey suit with a blue shirt and a red tie, was arraigned before Justice John Tsoho on 16 counts, including money laundering and offences relating to obtaining of multiple passports.
The justice of the apex court was allowed to sit in the dock.
But he stood up to plead not guilty when the charges were read to him at about 10.41am on Monday.
The judge returned from about two-hour break to grant bail to the Justice of the Supreme Court in the sum of N100m to be guaranteed by his own recognisance.
The defendant, who only had to sign a bail bond worth N100m and guaranteed by his status as a Justice of the Supreme Court, was driven out of the court premises in his official Mercedes Benz E350 at about 3.30pm on Monday.
The judge, after dismissing the fear expressed by the prosecution, Charles Adeogun-Philips, about the possibility of the defendant interfering with evidence and evading, fixed December 7 and 8 for trial.
The government prosecutor said, “There must be consequences for wrongful conduct. So many times, things have been done in our society with disregard to consequences.”
COMMENTS