Metuh lists beneficiaries of N400m from Dasuki

The former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, on Friday listed how he shared the N400 million he collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) under Sambo Dasuki.

Metuh said the money was meant for “special national assignment” and listed those who benefitted from it and how much each person got.

He made the narration on Friday before the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Okon Abang.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Metuh over the money, which he received in the build up to the 2015 general elections.

The former PDP spokesman is facing prosecution alongside his company, Destra Investment on seven-count charges, bordering on money laundering to the tune of N400 million.

Disclosing details of the Friday court proceedings in a statement, the EFCC said Metuh, told the court that there was never an instance where the former President Goodluck Jonathan directly paid any money to him.

Metuh, the defence team’s 15th witness under cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, also said that the payment of N400 million was for the national assignment as directed by the then president.

When the statement of his account which had N6.6 million before an inflow of N400 million into it on November 24, 2014, was showed to him, Metuh began to narrate how he disbursed the money.

According to him, there was an outflow of N7.5 million from the amount through a cheque to a company, CNC Connect on December 2, 2014, another payment of N21.7 million to Chief Anenih and N50 million to Kanayo/Olisah Metuh which is a joint account on December 4, 2014. On that same date, he narrated that there was another outflow of N31.5 million to Richard Ehidioha.

He also told the court of two separate payments of N200 million and N300 million to Daniel Ford International also on December 4, 2014.

Other subsequent expenditures he said are payments to CNC Connect in the sum of N70 million on December 15, 2014; N25 million to Abba Dabo on December 16, 2014 and N5 million to Ambassador Kema Chikwe.

He told the court that a final report he submitted to the then president had all the expenditures of the N400 million, captured in receipts and signatures for all payment of monies in cash and through several accounts for the special assignment. He said he had about 19 accounts of which more than five are in Diamond Bank.

Metuh also told the court that he made an investment of $2 million in cash in ARM, through an ARM staff, Miss Nneka Ararume.

When asked if the equivalent of the $2 million was paid in Naira into Dextra’s account which was to the tune N366 million at that time, he said, “We led evidence to show that the $2 million was paid by me to ARM and the prosecution had led evidence to show that Nneka Ararume paid monies to bureau de change which now transferred the monies into my account.”

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Metuh went further to say that he did not have any dealings with the bureau de change, recalling that Miss Ararume told the court that she got his account details from his record with ARM and gave it to the bureau de change.

When asked if the non-payment of $2 million into his account was to conceal the origin of the money, Metuh said the non-payment of the sum into his account was the failure of his account officer to execute a lawful and legal directive.

Justice Abang later adjourned the matter to September 30, 2019 for continuation of trial.

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