An FCT High Court, Maitama, on Wednesday fixed Jan. 27, 2020 for the hearing of a case against Olisa Metuh, a former PDP spokesman, charged with criminal destruction of evidence to open his defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metuh was arraigned alongside his company, Desita by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC ) in January 2015 on a two-count charge bordering on alleged destruction of evidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case slated for the commencement of defence on Wednesday was further adjourned at the instance of the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NAN reports that the council on the matter were all present, the defendant, Metuh was also present but the court did not sit and a date was agreed on by all the parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice Ishaq Bello, on Oct. 17, in his ruling on the no-case- submission filed by Metuh, ordered him to enter a defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said a prima facie case was established against him by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Sylvanus Tahir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bello said that the \u201cview of this court\u201d after reviewing arguments by parties, \u201cis that the application for a no-case -submission is lacking in merit. It is hereby dismissed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He thereby ordered Metuh to enter his defence and adjourned the trial until Nov 20 for the defendant to open his defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Metuh\u2019s counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, had on Oct. 10, 2017, told the court that they would enter a no-case submission at the close of the prosecution\u2019s case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arguing in the no-case submission, Ikpeazu had told the court that the prosecution had not established any case to warrant the defendant to be called to enter his defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that the application was in pursuant to the provisions of Sections 302 and 357 of ACJA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The counsel added that the defendant had a constitutional liberty and could not be prosecuted where he either refused to make a statement or withdraw any part of his writing in the course of making a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ikpeazu said that the defendant also had a right to cancel any part of his statement voluntarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He reminded the court that the charge by EFCC was that Metuh destroyed his statement and obstructed EFCC officials by willfully tearing his statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ikpeazu argued that a piece of paper not signed did not qualify as a statement by the defendant, and urged the court to discharge and acquit the defendant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the prosecuting counsel Mr Sylvanus Tahir urged the court to establish whether or not a prima facie case had been made against the defendant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tahir added that cancellation was different from tearing which was obstruction, and prayed the court to call upon the defendant to enter his defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An FCT High Court, Maitama, on Wednesday fixed Jan. 27, 2020 for the hearing of a case against Olisa Metuh, a former PDP spokesman, charged with criminal destruction of evidence…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":25405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1944,63,8298],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":126576,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/breaking-court-flops-olisa-metuhs-bid-to-stop-trial\/","url_meta":{"origin":128466,"position":0},"title":"BREAKING: Court Flops Olisa Metuh’s Bid To Stop Trial","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"October 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh has lost in a bid to stop his criminal trial before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja. In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Ishaq Bello rejected a no-case application made by Metuh\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Olisa Metuh, EFCC, Court,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128835,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/court-to-decide-olisa-metuhs-fate-feb-25-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":128466,"position":1},"title":"Court To Decide Olisa Metuh’s Fate Feb 25, 2020","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"November 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled judgment for February 25, 2020, in the trial of a former spokesman of the Peoples\u2019 Democratic Party (PDP) Olisa Metuh. Metuh and his firm, Dextra Investment Limited are being tried for allegedly receiving N400million from the office of the National Security Adviser\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Olisa Metuh, EFCC, Court,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36677,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/allow-call-jonathan-witness-metuh-tells-court\/","url_meta":{"origin":128466,"position":2},"title":"ALLOW ME CALL JONATHAN AS A WITNESS, METUH TELLS COURT","author":"Arinze Ago","date":"October 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Former National Publicity Secretary of the\u00a0Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh on Monday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he would like to subpoena former\u00a0President Goodluck Jonathan\u00a0as his defence witness. Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu\u00a0(SAN), his lawyer told the court that\u00a0he had written Jonathan to that effect but that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Olisa Metuh, EFCC, Court,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":125476,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/olisa-metuh-begins-to-mention-names-of-those-who-got-share-of-n400m-see\/","url_meta":{"origin":128466,"position":3},"title":"Olisa Metuh Begins To Mention Names Of Those Who Got Share Of N400m [SEE]","author":"Reporter","date":"September 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Olisa Metuh, former national publicity secretary of the People's Democratic Party, on Friday, September 27th narrated in a Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Okon Abang, how he distributed the N400million, he collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA, under Sambo Dasuki as national security\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Olisa Metuh, EFCC, Court,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":134401,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/olisa-metuh-sentenced-to-7-years-in-prison\/","url_meta":{"origin":128466,"position":4},"title":"Olisa Metuh sentenced to 7 years in prison","author":"Reporter","date":"February 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh who was found guilty of money laundering earlier today has been handed a 7 year jail sentence. Metuh was found guilty of all the seven-count charges against him including illegally receiving N400m from former National Security Adviser, Dasuki Sambo\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Olisa Metuh, EFCC, Court,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":113204,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/jonathan-gave-me-n400m-before-2015-elections-metuh-tells-court\/","url_meta":{"origin":128466,"position":5},"title":"Jonathan gave me N400m before 2015 elections, Metuh tells court","author":"Reporter","date":"February 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, on Tuesday, narrated before the Federal High Court in Abuja, how he got N400million from ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, before the 2015 presidential election. Jonathan and Metuh Metuh, who is facing a seven-count money laundering charge the Economic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Olisa Metuh, EFCC, Court,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Olisa-Metuh-EFCC.png?fit=603%2C537&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128466"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128466"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128471,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128466\/revisions\/128471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}