Yusuf Bello| The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 25, 2020, as judgement date in the N400 million fraud suit against’ Olisa Metuh, the former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a short judgement on Tuesday, presiding judge, Okon Abang fixed the date after taking arguments from lawyers in the matter.
At the resumed hearing of the matter, Metuh’s lawyer, Abel Ozioko, told the court that the said money was approved and released to Metuh to provide services and that it was not a contract by ONSA who has the power to pay money for such services.
He further argued that one of the prosecution witnesses admitted that apart from payment for contract by ONSA, ONSA is also involved in the payment for other services and that a witness confirmed the payment was for security services.
Ozioko, therefore, urged the court to discharge and acquit the accused as there is no evidence contradicting services rendered as shown before the court.
Towing the same line of arguement, Tochukwu Onwugbufor, representing Metuh’s company (Destra Investments), said the prosecution had failed to prove the alleged offences.
According to him, the prosecution had failed to prove that the case is a predicate offence.
“Predicate offence is an offence which leads to money laundering,” he informed the court.
The prosecution, he said averred, instead of relying on the law in Nigeria, “relied on UK law which has not crossed the Atlantic ocean, which has not reached the Supreme Court or even before your lordship.”
“If they prove the fact that tends to establish those offences, the court would, therefore, presume that those offence has been proved, the prosecution is now trying to be the judge and the court and I urge you, the court, to resist such,” he concluded.
He, therefore, urged the court also to discharge and acquit the defendant.
Responding, Sylvanus Tahir, the prosecution counsel, maintained that they had proved their case beyond a reasonable doubt and urged the court to convict the defendants.
Metuh is being prosecuted by the EFCC, alongside his company, Destra Investment, on a seven-count charge of diversion of the money received from the national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
He was also accused of transacting with the sum of $2 million without going through a financial institution, in violation of a provision of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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