Ade Adesomoju, Abuja
The National Publicity Secretary of the
Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, was on Friday granted a
fresh N600m bail by Justice Ishaq Bello of a Federal Capital Territory
High Court in Abuja.
Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High
Court in Abuja had earlier on Tuesday granted bail to the PDP
spokesperson with respect to charges of money laundering involving N400m
he allegedly collected from the office of a former National Security
Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki.
The money was meant for the procurement of arms.
The fresh N600m bail sum imposed on
Friday by Justice Bello is with respect to charges of destruction of
evidence by Metuh on January 5, 2016 while in custody of the EFCC.
The latest fine brings to N1bn the sum
the court had slammed on Metuh in recent days even though he has yet to
meet up with the conditions of the first bail application.
The FCT Chief Judge in addition to the
N600m bail sum also ordered on Friday that the residences of the two
sureties to be presented by Metuh must be filed before the court for
verification.
The EFCC accused the PDP spokesperson in
the fresh charges of destroying his statement meant to be produced as
evidence before the court of law.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Metuh
made the statement under caution to the operatives and investigators on
January 5, 2016 while in custody.
They also alleged that the PDP
spokesperson “destroyed document to prevent its production as evidence,”
thereby committing an offence which is said to be punishable under
Section 166 of the Penal Code CAP 532 LFN, Abuja (2004).
It also alleged that the destruction of
evidence amounted to “mischief”, an offence said to be contrary to
Section 326 and punishable under Section 327 of the Penal Code.
Metuh pleaded not guilty to the two counts when they were read to him on Thursday.
The application for bail was not opposed by EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, when it was heard on Friday.
In his oral application, Metuh’s lawyer,
Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, a senior advocate, anchored the application on
provisions of sections 158 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal
Justice Act, 2015 as well as sections 35 and 36 of the Constitution.
The judge in his ruling agreed with the
defence that the offences the accused was charged with were bailable and
that he was presumed innocent until proved guilty.
The judge had earlier on Thursday
directed the prosecution to ensure that all its three proposed witnesses
were present in court on February 25, an indication that the judge was
set to hear and close the prosecution’s case in one day.
The fresh charges against him read,
“Olisa Metuh, on the 5th day of January 2016 in Abuja, within the
jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory,
destroyed the document, to wit: a statement made under caution to
investigators/operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
on the 5th of January 2016 with the intention of preventing the same
from being produced or used as evidence in a court of law.
“Olisa Metuh, on the 5th day of January
2016 within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital
Territory, with intent to cause wrongful loss or damage to the property
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission committed mischief by
destroying/tearing into pieces a statement you made under caution to
investigations/investigative of the EFCC.”
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