The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared its readiness to challenge the nullification of the former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh’s conviction for money laundering at the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja, had on Thursday nullified the ex-PDP spokesman’s conviction for money laundering and ordered a fresh trial on the matter.
Justice Stephen Adah, who led a panel of three justices of the appellate court, agreed with Metuh that the judge that delivered the lower court’s ruling was biased and nullified his conviction.
However, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, who reacted to the development in a statement in Abuja, said the anti-graft agency has reviewed the ruling and came to the conclusion that the appellate court erred by restricting itself to only two grounds (12 and 14) of the appeal that dwell on the alleged bias by Justice Okon Abang but failed to examine the merit of the judgment.
He added that EFCC would approach the apex court to set aside the ruling.
The statement read: “The anti-graft agency believes that the alleged remarks by the trial judge were not sufficient to nullify the judgment which was based on material evidence and submissions of witnesses called by the prosecution.
“The EFCC believes that, as an intermediate court, the Court of Appeal erred in ordering a retrial without considering the merit of the judgment of the lower court.”
The commission arraigned Metuh alongside his company, Destra Investment Limited, on a seven-count charge of money laundering in 2015.
EFCC alleged that the ex-PDP spokesman illegally received monies totaling N400 million from the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), ahead of 2015 general election.
He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by Justice Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on February 25.
