Olisa Metuh Faces fresh Charge for destroying Evidence.


As the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh struggles to meet the N400million bail granted him by a Federal high Court sitting in Abuja, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed fresh charges bordering on alleged destruction of evidence.
This time, he would answering the charges before the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Ishaq Bello at the FCT High Court, sitting in Maitama, Abuja.
He is being accused of allegedly attempting to destroy the confessional statement he volunteered while being quizzed by operatives of the EFCC.

The commission’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in a press statement in Abuja, said the fresh charges were filed on January 18, 2016.
One of the counts reads: “Olisa Metuh on the 5th day of January 2016 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, destroyed a 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.”

He said the offence is punishable under Section 166 of the Penal Code Cap 532 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, (Abuja) 2004.
Spokesperson of the anti-graft body also said, Metuh who was brought to the court from Kuje Prison, by officers of the Nigerian Prisons Service, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to him.

He said, in view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, urged the court to fix a date for the commencement of trial.
However, Metuh’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, prayed the court to grant the accused bail, taking into consideration that the punishment for the alleged offence does not exceed two years.

Justice Bello, while ordering Metuh to be remanded in prison custody, adjourned the matter to January 25, 2016, for hearing on the bail application, noting that, both parties would be communicated on the possibility of hearing the bail application on January 22, 2016.

Uwujaren said, the trial of the PDP spokesperson is expected to commence on February 26, 2016.
It would be recalled that Metuh is also standing trial on a seven-count charge brought against him by the anti-graft agency before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja, for allegedly receiving N400 million from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki.

http://www.blueprint.ng/2016/01/22/more-troubles-for-metuh/

Cc: LALASTICALA front page news