The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has brought an amendment
charge against the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, one week after closing its case.
Olisa Metuh
The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party,
Chief Olisa Metuh, is to make a no-case submission before a Federal High
Court in Abuja against the evidence led by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission in his trial on charges of money laundering and fraud
relating to N400m security fund, The Punch reports.
By his no-case submission, Metuh will be seeking to be discharged
and acquitted on the grounds that the evidence led by the prosecution
after concluding its case had failed to link him to the alleged crime.
Justice Okon Abang on Thursday granted permission to the PDP
spokesperson, who is being prosecuted along with his firm, Destra
Investments Limited, to file a written address with respect to the
no-case submission.
Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, are being
prosecuted by the EFCC on seven counts, involving allegation that he
fraudulently received N400m from the Office of the National Security
Adviser in November 2014 and also on charges of money laundering of cash
transaction involving $2m.
Before his lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), gave indication to
make a no-case submission on Thursday, the trial judge, Justice Okon
Abang, granted some amendment to the charges in counts one, two and
seven.
The EFCC had concluded its case with its eighth witness on
February 9 and Justice Abang had adjourned till Thursday for Metuh and
his firm to open their defence.
But rather than call a witness on Thursday, defence lawyer,
Ikpeazu, indicated to the court that his clients intended to make a
no-case submission and urged the judge to give a directive on whether
they could do so orally or by filing a written address.
