CASE NUMBER 10906:

OLISA METUH REWARDED WITH 7 YEARS IMPRISONMENT.

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Alleged Perpetrators(s)

Chief Olisa Metuh Destra Investment Limited

Location (Town / State)

Abuja, Nationwide

Date of Event

25 Feb 2020

Date of republication

25 February every year

Case category (Choose all that apply)

Case Summary

The Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, has been handed a 7-year jail sentence and fined N425 million for his role in the Dasukigate scandal.

Full story

On Tuesday, 25th February 2020, Nigerians were greeted with the news of the conviction of the former Nationality Publicity Secretary of the erstwhile ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, for his complicity in converting to his private use, the funds originally earmarked for the equipment of the Nigerian Armed Forces in their fight against the Boko Haram menace.
Chief Olisa Metuh who was arraigned before Hon Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja in January 2016, had hitherto fought a protracted legal battle seeking to escape this conviction. He had previously challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to try him for the offenses which he had been alleged of committing. His Notice of Preliminary Objection challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had been refused by the trial court, and his appeal to the Supreme Court was unsuccessful with the Apex Court ruling that Chief Olisa Metuh must have his day in Court.
Hence, the trial against the former PDP Chieftain pressed on before Justice Abang, and the EFCC proved their seven-count charges against him and his firm, Destra Investment Limited who was joined as a second defendant to the charge. The charges bordered on money laundering, criminal conversion and diversion of funds to the tune of N400, 000, 000 (Four Hundred Million Naira).
Chief Metuh who was the former publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had allegedly received the sum of N400,000,000 (Four Hundred Million Naira) from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), which was headed by Colonel Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. The EFCC had contended that the said sum which was a fraction of the funds meant for the Nigerian Military was illicitly converted and diverted to personal use and the purchase of a luxury property in the Banana Island, an elite estate in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
The trial court found the defendants guilty on all seven counts of the charge preferred against them and held that Chief Metuh took possession of the N400 Million from the Office of the National Security Adviser without any contractual agreement. Chief Metuh and his company were also held to be guilty of count two of the charge by using part of the money to acquire a property in Banana Island.
They were also found guilty of counts three and four of the charge which have to do with detention and retention of N400million while count five and six have to do with making cash transfer above the statutory threshold of N5million for individual and N10million for a corporate body. The judge agreed that "the said transaction was in violation of the Money Laundering Act as amended in 2012. The prosecution had proven that there was a cash transaction involving the defendant where over $2million was sent to one Nneka Ararume in his residence and the transaction was not by a financial instrument". The judge also agreed that the origin of the $2million remained undocumented which was to launder the origin of the fund.

While count seven involved the unlawful transfer of N21.7million to the late Chief Tony Anenni, the court held that the defendant ought to have known that the said amount formed part of unlawful actions of the former NSA and that the prosecution has proved that there was transfer of funds to Chief Tony Anenni for which he was also found guilty and convicted as well.

The judge sentenced Metuh to seven years on count one, two, four and seven; and five years on count three, five and six, totaling 43 years. The sentences run concurrently, which leaves Metu to serve only seven years, beginning from the day of conviction.

The court also fined the second defendant, Metu’s Destra investment Limited, the sum of N25million each on counts five and six. While Metu is also to refund the sum of N375million to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The money in the Diamond Bank account of the second defendant was forfeited to the Federal Government and the company is to be wound up.

External links/URLs

https://efccnigeria.org/efcc/news/5513-court-jails-metuh-for-n400m-onsa-fraud-to-refund-n425m-to-fg

https://tvcnews.tv/breaking-court-sentences-olisa-metuh-to-7-years-imprisonment/

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/378974-why-judge-

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