Appeal court declines to stop Metuh’s trial

Abdul Aboki, justice of the appeal court, on Monday told Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), counsel to Olisa Metuh, spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that it is not the practice of the court to stop the proceedings of a lower court while hearing of an appeal is pending.

Aboki said this to Ikpeazu when the senior lawyer notified the court of an application to stop the proceedings of the high court, where Metuh is facing trial for alleged money laundering and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N400m, pending the hearing of the suit before the appeal court.

“The practice before us here is not to stay proceedings at the lower court. Pursue your appeal and go a face your case at the lower court,” he told Ikpeazu.

“I think your lordship might be swayed when we make our argument,” Ikpeazu responded.

“You can’t, when we get there. That is the practice of this court,” Aboki replied to his statement.

In March, Okon Abang, justice of the federal high court, had dismissed Metuh’s “no-case submission” seeking to quash the charges against him.

Metuh is challenging that judgment at the appeal court.

Also, Sylvanus Tahir, counsel to the EFCC, earned the reprimand of the three-member panel of justices for filing sloppy briefs.

His failure to get his work tidied-up delayed the hearing.

The appeal court adjourned the hearing of the application to May 5 at the instance of Tahir.