Court grants Metuh N300m bail

Ishaq Bello, justice of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has granted Olisa Metuh, spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), bail in the sum N300m and two sureties in like sum.

Onyechi Ikpeazu, Metuh’s lawyer, had prayed the court to exercise a lenient discretion in granting the accused person bail. He argued that Metuh was presumed innocent under the law until he is pronounced guilty by the court. He therefore asked the court to grant his client bail on self-recognisance.

Although, Sylvanus Tahir, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), did not object to the bail application, he asked the court to grant Metuh bail on terms that would make him present in court for his trial.

The court thereafter gave its ruling, granting the accused person bail in the sum of N300m.

On Thursday, Metuh was arraigned before the court for two-count charges of destruction of evidence, to which he pleaded not guilty.

One of the counts reads: “Olisa Metuh on the 5th day of January 2016 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory destroyed a document, to wit: a statement made under caution to investigators/operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on the 5th of January 2016, with the intention of preventing the same from being produced or used as evidence in a court of law.”

The offence is punishable under Section 166 of the Penal Code Cap 532 laws of the Federation of Nigeria, (Abuja) 2004

The PDP spokesman is also facing a seven-count charge for money laundering to the tune of N400m at the federal high court, Abuja.

For the alleged offence, he was granted bail in the sum N400m at the federal court.