ABUJA – Abuja Federal High Court has granted bail to embattled National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, to the tune of N400million.
Justice Okon Abang sitting at the court, ruled that Metuh should produce two sureties: resident in Abuja, possessors of landed properties within Maitama District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who must each deposit the sum of N200m, Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of the properties, and three years tax clearance to the Court’s Chief Registrar for verification and retention.
According to the court, the sureties must swear to an affidavit of means and also submit two recent passport photographs.
More so, Justice Abang ordered Metuh to surrender his international passport to the Chief Registrar of the high court.
The PDP spokesman who was remanded in Kuje Prison last Friday, was brought to the court in a prison bus with registration No. PS-682-AO and in handcuffs.
Metuh is standing trial for a seven-count criminal charge that was preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC.). He is facing trial alongside his firm, Destra Investment Limited, over alleged N400m fraud.
The charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016, was signed by the Assistant Director, Legal & Prosecution Department of the EFCC, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir.
The charge against Metuh borders on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and criminal diversion of public funds.
Specifically, EFCC, alleged that Metuh had in November, 2014, collected the sum of N400m from the erstwhile National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, rtd.
The fund which was withdrawn from an account the Office of the NSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, was allegedly transferred to Metuh through account no. 0040437573, which Destra Investments Limited operated with Diamond Bank Plc.
EFCC insisted that whereas the fund was earmarked for campaign activities of the PDP, it said that Metuh diverted most of it to his personal use.
It alleged that Metuh converted part of the money to one Million US Dollars which he used for his personal business.
Besides, Metuh was alleged to have transferred the sum of N21.7m to another chieftain of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih.
