Sept, 27, 2019: Premium Times, Nigeria: A former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, has told an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court how he distributed the N400 million he received from the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA, in 2014.
Mr Metuh’s statement on Friday while serving as a witness in his trial was sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren.
PREMIUM TIMES had reported, in April, how Mr Metuh told the court that the N400 million he is accused of collecting from the federal government was spent on “special national assignment.”
The former PDP spokesperson is being prosecuted by the EFCC, alongside his company, Destra Investment, on a seven-count charge, for alleged diversion of the money received when Sambo Dasuki was the National Security Adviser.
Mr Metuh who is the defence team’s 15th witness, under cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, told the court that there was never an instance where former President Goodluck Jonathan directly paid any money to him.
According to the statement, Mr Metuh restated that the payment of N400 million was for a national assignment as directed by the then-president.
Upon being shown the statement of his account which had N6.6 million before an inflow of N400 million into it on November 24, 2014, he said there was an outflow of N7.5 million from the amount through a cheque to a company, CNC Connect, on December 2, 2014, another payment of N21.7 million to late Tony Anenih and N50 million to Kanayo/Olisah Metuh which is a joint account on December 4, 2014.
He disclosed that there was another outflow of N31.5 million to Richard Ehidioha as well as two separate payments of N200 million and N300 million to Daniel Ford International, also on December 4, 2014.
He said there was also payment of N70 million to CNC Connect on December 15, 2014; N25 million to Abba Dabo on December 16, 2014; and N5 million to Kema Chikwe.
He told the court that a final report he submitted to the then president had all the expenditures of the N400 million captured in receipts and signatures for all payment of monies in cash and through several accounts for the special assignment.
He noted that he had about 19 accounts of which more than five are in Diamond Bank.
The former PDP spokesperson also told the court that he made an investment of $2 million dollars in cash in ARM, through an ARM staff, Nneka Ararume.
When asked if the equivalent of the $2 million was then paid in naira into Dextra’s account, the embattled PDP chieftain said, “We led evidence to show that the $2 million was paid by me to ARM and the prosecution had led evidence to show that Nneka Ararume paid monies to bureau de change which now transferred the monies into my account.”
He said he did not have any dealings with the bureau de change, recalling that Ms Ararume told the court that she got his account details from his record with ARM and gave it to the bureau de change.
The prosecutor further asked if the non-payment of $2 million dollars into his account was to conceal the origin of the money, Mr Metuh said the non-payment of the sum into his account was the failure of his account officer to execute a lawful and legal directive.
Justice Abang adjourned the matter to September 30, 2019, for the continuation of trial.
