Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja
yesterday varied the bail condition granted embattled National Publicity
Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, on January
19.
Metuh, through his counsel, Emeka Etiaba, had prayed the court to vary the bail condition on the ground that the defendant was finding it difficult to meet them.
Abang in his ruling granted part of Metuh’s application for variation of the bail conditions, noting that Metuh would no longer be required to produce two sureties, who must have property in Maitama area of Abuja.
While the bail sum of N400million and other attached conditions remain, Metuh’s proposed sureties, who the court insisted must be resident in Abuja, could now be owners of property with valid title documents “in any district of the Federal Capital Territory.”
However, the court in its ruling rejected an aspect of Metuh’s application seeking the removal of the bail condition directing the prosecuting counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, to within 24 hours of being notified, verify the addresses of the proposed sureties and the certificates of occupancy of the property to be presented by them.
The court also rejected the second leg of the application despite disregarding the opposition by prosecuting counsel to that aspect of the prayer for failing to file his objection to the application within 24 hours earlier given him to do so.
The judge upheld Etiaba’s request that Tahir’s submissions be expunged from the court’s records but still went ahead to rule that, “As regarding the second leg of the application, I think the first defendant (Metuh) is asking for what is not legally permissible.”
It would be recalled that Metuh was on January 15 charged to court on charges of money laundering and fraudulent receipt of N400m, part of funds allegedly meant for procurement of arms, from the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, in November 2014.
After taking his plea of not guilty that day, he was remanded in Kuje prison, where he is till date. Since his remand, prison officials have always produced him in court for his trial in handcuff, not exempting his appearances before an Abuja High Court, where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, subsequently charged him with destruction of evidence.
Metuh, through his counsel, Emeka Etiaba, had prayed the court to vary the bail condition on the ground that the defendant was finding it difficult to meet them.
Abang in his ruling granted part of Metuh’s application for variation of the bail conditions, noting that Metuh would no longer be required to produce two sureties, who must have property in Maitama area of Abuja.
While the bail sum of N400million and other attached conditions remain, Metuh’s proposed sureties, who the court insisted must be resident in Abuja, could now be owners of property with valid title documents “in any district of the Federal Capital Territory.”
However, the court in its ruling rejected an aspect of Metuh’s application seeking the removal of the bail condition directing the prosecuting counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, to within 24 hours of being notified, verify the addresses of the proposed sureties and the certificates of occupancy of the property to be presented by them.
The court also rejected the second leg of the application despite disregarding the opposition by prosecuting counsel to that aspect of the prayer for failing to file his objection to the application within 24 hours earlier given him to do so.
The judge upheld Etiaba’s request that Tahir’s submissions be expunged from the court’s records but still went ahead to rule that, “As regarding the second leg of the application, I think the first defendant (Metuh) is asking for what is not legally permissible.”
It would be recalled that Metuh was on January 15 charged to court on charges of money laundering and fraudulent receipt of N400m, part of funds allegedly meant for procurement of arms, from the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, in November 2014.
After taking his plea of not guilty that day, he was remanded in Kuje prison, where he is till date. Since his remand, prison officials have always produced him in court for his trial in handcuff, not exempting his appearances before an Abuja High Court, where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, subsequently charged him with destruction of evidence.
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