UPDATED: Court grants Olisa Metuh N400m bail

UPDATED: Court grants Olisa Metuh N400m bail

January 19, 2016

Written by:

SUNDAY EJIKE, ABUJA

Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, granted bail to the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, in the sum of N400 million, with two sureties in the sum of N200 million each.
In a ruling on Metuh's bail application, Abang said the two sureties must be residents of Abuja and must have landed properties in Maitama District of the Federal Capital Territory.
The sureties, the judge held, must deposit their Certificates of Occupancy to the Registrar of the court and that the registrar must verify the authenticity of the title documents of the properties from the land registry of the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory.
Other conditions for Metuh's bail, the judge added, are that the sureties must swear to an affidavit of means, must deposit two of their passports with the Registrar of the court, the residence of the sureties be be confirmed and that the PDP spokesman should deposit his international passport with the court.
The court said the prosecution, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), should verify the properties of the two sureties and that the sureties must swear to an affidavit of means.
Justice Abang said he would not make any pronouncement on the request by the defendant to make an order stopping Metuh's re-arrest after granting bail as that relief sought is not predicated on the principal prayers of the applicant.
"Therefore, the applicant's application dated January 15 succeeds in part. In prayer one, the applicant must meet the all conditions required for his bail and prayer two is hereby stuck out," the court held and adjourned till January 25 to commence trial.
Arguing earlier for Metuh's bail, his lawyer, Chris Uche (SAN), lamented the manner Metuh, a senior lawyer and a prominent person, was brought to court in handcuffs by the EFCC.
Uche, therefore, asked the court to grant Metuh bail on very liberal terms, adding also that he would not intefere with any investigation as the prosecution said, in their affidavit, that they had substantially concluded investigation in the matter.
He argued further that the offences for which his client was charged was bailable, adding also that Metuh would be available to face his trial.
Opposing the bail application, prosecution counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, asked the court not to grant bail to Metuh, that there is the tendency of the defendant interfering with investigation as there is the possibility of filing additional charges against the defendant.
Metuh pleaded not guilty to the seven-count charge, bordering on breach of trust, diversion of public funds and money laundering filed against him by the anti-graft agency.