Alleged N400m Fraud: Olisa Metuh To Be Re-Arraigned On Oct 14

Former Spokesman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that he could no longer feed his family because his bank accounts have been frozen by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Metuh said he learn early on Tuesday that no debit order was placed on his accounts on Monday night, when he tried unsuccessfully to make a transaction in one of the accounts. The ex-PDP spokesman made the disclosure while testifying on Tuesday at the resumed hearing in his trail. Metuh is being tried, with his company, Destra Investment on charges of money laundering. Metuh, who is currently testifying as his own witness, said the freezing of his accounts has made it difficult for him to either feed his family or buy items as common as water and pain-reliving medicine like Panadol. He said: “The EFCC seized my accounts yesterday night and I can’t get money to feed my family. I am in total shock as I am here talking to you. “I don’t even know what to say. They seized all my accounts in every bank in this country. As I am don’t have money to buy Panadol or water to drink.” Metuh associated the freezing of his accounts with his ongoing trial, in which he is accused of unlawfully receiving N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in 2014. He queried why the EFCC would freeze his accounts having allegedly seized his assets earlier. Metuh said what the EFCC earlier seized included assets with the Asset and Resource Management Company Limited and his funds in other banks. He said the funds affected by the recent action of the EFCC has denied him access to his funds worth more than the amount at stake in the trial. Metuh noted: “They have alleged in this case that N400m was stolen. Why would they not limit it to that amount? “I don’t know how I am going to feed my family? I don’t have access to any money at all. I am ready to end this case and submit myself to the judgment of this court.” In his earlier testimony on Tuesday, Metuh claimed his trial was because he was critical of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) while he was in office. He tendered the print-outs of some media reports of the news conferences he addressed as the spokesperson of the PDP in July 2015. Metuh said the news conferences which were critical of the APC and the President Muhammadu Buhari administration earned him threats and eventually his arrest and subsequent prosecution. Reacting, Metuh’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), said he did not object to what his client said, but except the part where he spoke about ending the case. The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang Noted that the issue, Metuh raised about his accounts, was not part of the case before the court. The judge asked Metuh to ask his lawyer to discuss the issue with the lead prosecuting lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, who was equally in court.

Federal High Court has fixed October 14, for the re-arraignment of the former National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, over alleged fraud to the tune of N400 million.

The date was fixed following the absence of the new trial judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, in court on Tuesday.

Consequently, Metuh’s re-trial could not proceed, despite his presence and that of all the parties involved, in court.

The court of Appeal, Abuja, had on December 16, 2020, nullified a Federal High Court judgement that convicted and sentenced Metuh to seven years imprisonment for money laundering.

The appellate court held that the judgement of the trial judge, Okon Abang, was tainted with bias, and subsequently sent the case file back to the Federal High Court for retrial by another judge.

Metuh would now be re-tried over allegations of receiving the sum of 400 million from the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), prior to the 2015 presidential election, without contract approval or execution.

The post Alleged N400m Fraud: Olisa Metuh To Be Re-Arraigned On Oct 14 appeared first on MojiDelano.Com.

Alleged N400m Fraud: Olisa Metuh To Be Re-Arraigned On Oct 14

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