Politics
Metuh got N400m for free – Witness
The trial of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, resumed on Tuesday before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, with a prosecution witness, Bali Ndam, a legal adviser at the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, telling court that Metuh’s company, Destra Investment Limited, was one of the companies paid money for doing nothing.
Ndam, who was called by the lead prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, as the third prosecution witness, said the incumbent NSA, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, forwarded a petition to the EFCC dated November 28, 2015 over “payment of contracts without award”.
He added that a list of 78 comapnies and individuals were attached to the Petition the NSA sent to the commission, adding that he could remember that Metuh’s company was among the 78 beneficiaries of the alleged fraudulent payment.
Read also: How I invested Metuh’s $2 – Witness
Counsel to Metuh, Onyechi Ikpeazu, however opposed an attemot by Tahir to tender the petition and other documents, including the electronic mandate issued by the ONSA to the Controller of the Abuja branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria for payments in favour of the 78 beneficiaries.
Also, the judge has fixed Wednesday for hearing of Metuh’s application for variation of the conditions of bail granted him by the court, just as his counsel informed the court that he had tried without success to me the conditions.
The embattled spokesman of the PDP, who was again led to court in handcuffs, is being prosecuted by the EFCC on seven counts bordering on money laundering and fraudulent receipt of N400m meant for procurement of arms from from the Office of the NSA.
It would be recalled that the prosecution opened its case on Monday by calling two witnesses. One öf them, Nneka Ararume narrated how she collected the sum of $2 million from Metuh, with an instruction that the money be invested.
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