The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday varied the bail condition granted the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, on January 19, 2016. This is even as a witness, Iniobong Effiong, a staff of Diamond Bank and an account officer to Metuh’s company, Destra Investments Limited, told the court that a credit of N400 million was made to the account by the former NSA. With the variation, Metuh has now been allow to provide two sureties with property valued at N200m in any part of Abuja. Metuh had through his counsel, Emeka Etiaba (SAN) while arguing the application urged the court to vary the bail condition on ground that the defendant had found it difficult to meet the term. In his ruling, the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, granted part of Metuh’s application for variation of the bail conditions.
Metuh was earlier required by the bail term to produce two sureties with landed property located strictly in the Maitama area of Abuja. While the bail sum of N400 million and other attached contomer due diligence, provide appropriate penalties and expand the scope of supervisory bodies, while recognising the role of certain self- regulatory organisations to address the challenges faced in the implementation of comprehensive anti-money laundering regime in Nigeria. Also, the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016, is seeking to facilitate the provision of obtaining by Nigeria international assistance on criminal matters. Such assistance, according to the President, include the provision and obtaining of evidence, making of arrangements for persons to give evidence or assist in criminal investigations. ditions 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 refused Metuh’s prayer to remove 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 refused the second leg of Metuh’s application to discard with the prosecution counsel filing his objection on his findings in respect to the term within 24 hours earlier given him to do so. Although, the judge upheld Etiaba’s request that Tahir’s submissions on the issue be expunged from the court’s records, he said, “I think the first defendant (Metuh) is asking for what is not legally permissible.”
Credit: DailyTimes
