Metuh’s company collected money from Dasuki without executing any contract, says witness

Baleh Ndam, a legal officer in the office of the national security adviser (ONSA), on Tuesday claimed that Destra Investment Limited; a company owned by Olisa Metuh, spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was among a list of 78 companies that received money from Sambo Dasuki, former NSA, without an award of contracts.

Ndam, who said he started working in the legal department of the ONSA in 2012, claimed: “On November 28, 2015, the national security adviser forwarded a letter entitled ‘Payment to companies without contract awards’ to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). There were 78 companies, and Destra Investment Limited was one of them.

“Following the letter, the EFCC sent a letter to the ONSA requesting for e-payment mandates of these companies; their letter was on January 13, 2016.”

However, Onyechi Ikpeazu, counsel to Metuh, objected to the claim of the witness, arguing that the e-payment mandates were not admissible in court because they were computer generated, hence they must come from “the maker”.

He therefore urged the court to reject the document as evidence in the case.

But Sylvanus Tahir, counsel to the EFCC, described Ikpeazu’s objection as “highly misconceived”. He argued that all documents tendered before the court were relevant in the case.

“We urge your lordship to discountenance the objection,” he said.

Earlier, Okon Abang, justice of the federal high court, Abuja, stood down the trial of Metuh for an hour following the failure of prison officers to bring him to court in time.

‪When the case was mentioned, the prosecution counsel observed that Metuh was absent. He asked the court for some time for the accused person to come in from prison.

After listening to the counsel, ‪Abang advised that prison officers must learn to adhere to stipulated time, and warned that he would not condone lateness any longer.

“The prison officials cannot keep holding this matter down, so tell them, this is the last time I will be standing a matter down for them,”‬ he said.

‪”It all depends on the attitude of the prison officials, if they make up their mind to be here before 9 am they will make it, unless they are used to coming to court late.‬ This matter has been reluctantly stood down to 10 am at the instance of the prosecution.”‬

Metuh is a facing a seven-count charge of money laundering. Although, has been granted bail in the sum of N400m, he is yet to perfect the conditions for it.

He is also facing a two-count charge of destruction of document at the federal capital territory high court, Abuja. He has been granted bail in the sum of N300m, but he is yet to fulfill the conditions for it.

Abang delivered a bench ruling, giving approval for documents tendered by the prosecution to be admitted as evidence against Metuh.

After the ruling, the defence counsel proceeded to cross examine the witness.

When Ikpeazu asked the witness to state how many contracts the ONSA awarded in 2015, he said he did not know.

Citing a letter which the ONSA had written to Destra Investment Limited wherein the purpose of payment, the sum of N400m, was “for security services”, the defence counsel asked the witness if he was aware of the general items under security, to which he answered in the negative.

The witness also denied being procured by the EFCC to entangle Metuh in a web of criminality.

“It is not true that I was procured to make statements on the matter,” he said.