A Federal High Court in Abuja, has fixed February 25, 2020 for judgment in the trial of a former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, on money laundering charge.
Metuh was arraigned in January, 2016 on the charge involving the N400m which he allegedly received fraudulently from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2015.
Upon the adoption of final written addresses on Tuesday, the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang fixed the date for judgment.
Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a seven-count charge of money laundering including allegations that they both fraudulently took the N400m “when they reasonably ought to know” that the money was part of the proceeds of alleged criminal act of then NSA, Sambo Dasuki.
Metuh was also accused of transacting with a cash of $2million without going through a financial institution in violation of a provision of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
The defence team led by Abel Ozioko, who appeared for Metuh and Tochukwu Onwugbufor (SAN) for Destra Investments, urged the court to discharge and acquit their clients on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove the alleged offences.
However, the EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, maintained that his team had proved all the offences charged beyond reasonable doubt, as he called on the judge to pass a guilty verdict on the defendants.
