Olisa Metuh, National Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday, February 18, 2016 made a no case submission to the seven count charge of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
His lawyer,Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN is expected to submit a written address arguing the no case submission on 25 February, 2016, the next adjourned date for the suit.
This was the decision of Justice Okon Abang after he granted the EFCC the opportunity of amending the seven- count charge bordering money laundering for which the PDP Publicity Secretary has been on trial since January.
The PDP Publicity Secretary is being tried for allegedly receiving the sum of N400 million (Four hundred million naira) from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) who is being tried for laundering $2.1 billion.
One of the amended counts to which Metuh pleaded not guilty to on Thursday reads: “That you Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Limited on or before the 24th November, 2014 in Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court took possession of the sum N400 million, paid into the account of DESTRA INVESTMENTS LIMITED with DIAMOND BANK Plc. Account No. 0040437573 from the account of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) the then National Security Adviser (To Wit; criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
There were also amendment to the charges in counts one, two and seven. He pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.
The prosecution however said the amendment of the charges did not have any affect on the trial as they were meant to make the case against Metuh tidier.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary was expected to open his defence on Thursday. The prosecutor had concluded his case against him on 9 February after calling eight witnesses.
But the lead Counsel to Metuh said his client will be making a no case submission as the witnesses and evidences presented by the prosecution did not link him with the alleged crimes.
The PDP Publicity Secretary will therefore be asking the court to discharge and acquit him of the charges in his no case submission.
