Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed March 9, 2016 to decide on whether or not the embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, has a case to answer in respect to the charges of fraud and money laundering preferred against him by the federal government.
Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly receiving N400 million, from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in November 2014.
He pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge preferred against him by the anti-graft agency. EFCC had announced after calling eight witnesses that it has closed its case against Metuh.
The anti-graft agency had earlier told the court that it has 18 witnesses but after the eight witness testified, the EFCC told the court that it was closing its case.
Metuh had after the EFCC closed its case filed a no-case submission, praying for an order to discharge and acquit him.
During the trial yesterday, counsel to Metuh, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), told the court that based on what has been presented before the court by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, Metuh has no case to answer.
“We adopt and rely on the written submissions and urged the court to sustain the no case submission and to discharge and acquit the defendant at this stage”, he submitted.
He urged the court to discharge and acquit his client on the grounds that the prosecution had led no credible evidence linking him to the alleged crime.
In his response, lawyer to EFCC, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir highlighted that they have placed oral and documentary evidence before the court adding that what is left for the defendant to do is to open his case.
Tahir insisted that the prosecution had led credible evidence through its eight witnesses and documents tendered before the court warranting the court to direct the defendants to “give their own side of the story”.
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