Metuh: ill health stalls trial

THE continuation of the trial of a former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Olisa Metuh, at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, on Tuesday, failed to hold.

The case was, on November 22, 2016,  fixed to continue on Tuesday, but could not go on due to the illness of the former spokesman of the opposition party, just as the absence of the trial judge, Justice Ishaq Usman Bello, stalled the trial on that day.

Due to the defendant’s illness, the counsel of both sides agreed from the Bar to postpone the trial till March 2  for the continuation of the trial, as Metuh was not in court on Tuesday.

He was scheduled to open his defence in the case as the prosecution had closed its case against him after calling three witnesses to testify against him.

Metuh’s ill-health had, on January 10, prevented his ongoing trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja, where he was facing a seven-count charge of fraud amounting to N400 million brought against him and his company, Destra Investment Limited, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

His counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, informed the court that his client was hospitalised at the National  Hospital,  Abuja, on Sunday,  January 8, due to health complications.

Metuh was dragged before the FCT High Court by the EFCC on a two-count charge bordering on destruction of evidence.

At the last sitting on Tuesday, October 11, 2016, the defence counsel, Dr Ikpeazu, cross-examined a prosecution witness, Mr Saed Junaid, an investigative officer with EFCC, who was among the team which investigated the former spokesman’s alleged N400 million fraud.

During the cross-examination, Junaid told the court that since the former PDP spokesman could write, he (Junaid) only wrote the cautionary word and not the statement.

He, however, told the court that Metuh, who he said had the right to cancel what he had written, tore the third page of his statement, adding that he told the defendant to stop doing that.

The first witness called by the prosecution to testify against Metuh, Mr Ibrahim Miringa, who led the team which investigated the alleged fraud, had earlier told the court the matter was assigned to his team for investigation when it got to EFCC in November, 2015.

Miringa said it was reported that some money was paid to some companies, including Destra Investment Limited, which investigation revealed belonged to Metuh, without contractual agreement or approval from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

According to him, Destra Investment Limited received N400 million on November 24, 2014, while Metuh was invited by the commission on January 5, 2016.

“The team interviewed him in respect of the case after which I instructed Saed (Junaid) to give the defendant the EFCC statement forms for him to put all that was discussed in writing.”

According to him, Junaid carried out the instruction he was given and guided the defendant before he commenced his writing,” he said.

The witness further told the court that after endorsing two statement forms, Metuh tore the third and said they should wait for his lawyer to come before he could make further statements.