Nigerian Supreme Court judge charged with corruption Published duration 21 November 2016

image copyright Getty Images image caption The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) accused the authorities of carrying out a "Gestapo-style" operation.

A Supreme Court judge in Nigeria has been charged in court in the capital Abuja with corruption and money-laundering.

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, who was allegedly found with several passports, pleaded not guilty to 15 counts of fraud.

He appeared along with seven other judges, who all denied the charges.

The fight against corruption was a campaign pledge of Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari who came to power last year.

Last month, Nigeria's security agency said it had seized $800,000 (£645,200) in cash in raids targeting senior judges suspected of corruption.

Justice Ngwuta and his co-defendants were arrested in those raids.

The raids did not go down well with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) which accused the authorities of carrying out a "Gestapo-style" operation.

The NBA successfully argued that the judges should be released on bail.

The judicial regulatory body of Nigeria, the National Judicial Council (NJC), suspended the judges pending their trial.

Related Topics Nigeria