A federal high court in Abuja has found Olisa Metuh, a former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), guilty of money laundering.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Metuh on seven counts of money laundering for allegedly receiving N400 million from the office of the national security adviser.
The court has pronounced him guilty on count one.
Defending himself on count one, Metuh had argued that he was unaware that the N400 million formed part of the proceeds of crime.
He said as of the time the money was paid into his account in November 2014, there was no criminal charge against Sambo Dasuki, former NSA.
Metuh submitted that he did not know that the money paid into the account was from the office of the national security adviser. He insisted that it was Goodluck Jonathan, former president, who authorised the payment of N400m for him to carry out issues of national importance.
But Okon Abang, the judge, in his judgment, said: “I have my doubts if the first defendant is telling the truth in this matter”.
The judge said Metuh must have received a bank alert notifying him of the transaction, and that the prosecution had also tendered the notice of alert (exhibit D28) as evidence before the court.
“It is in my firm view that as at November 24, 2014, the first defendant had actual knowledge of the inflow from ONSA in the account of the second defendant,” Abang held.
Abang held that Metuh’s evidence was not corroborated by the former president who refused to come to court to give evidence despite being subpoenaed. He said even Dasuki who came to court to testify as a witness claimed to have lost his memory.
“I think the prosecution has proved the ingredients as regards count one,” he said.
“The first defendant is hereby found guilty of count one and accordingly convicted. (The Cable)
