The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, has finally bowed to court order as he has now commenced his defence at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Justice Okon Abang had on April 8 ordered Metuh to open his defence unfailingly today after suffering several adjournments.
Metuh is standing trial on a 7 count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N400m he allegedly received from the former National Security Adviser to the immediate past administration, Col. Sambo Dasuki(rtd).
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the money was part of the funds meant for the procurement of arms for the military fighting insurgency in the north east.
This claims, Metuh has, however, denied saying the money he received was used to execute the last Presidential campaign of the PDP.
Metuh has also refused to enter his defence after EFCC Presented all its witnesses in the ongoing trial. The embattled PDP spokesman cited various reasons for his refusal, among which is that the trial judge, Justice Abang is bias in the handling of his matter, owing to the fact that they were classmates never got along with each other.
The embattled PDP spokesman, while pushing for the change of the trial judge had petitioned the Chief Judge of the Abuja Federal High Court, urging that the matter be transferred to another court or Justice Abang disqualifies himself from the case.
Metuh’s push for his matter to be transferred to another court, however, suffered a setback as Justice Abang on April 8 ruled that he would not disqualify himself from the matter and ordered that he(Metuh) opens his defence today unfailing after the matter had enjoyed five adjournments.
Justice Abang, however, adjourned the matter till today for Metuh to enter his defence unfailingly.
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