The spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, on Thursday pleaded not guilty to an amended seven-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Mr. Metuh is standing trial at the Federal High Court for allegedly receiving N400 million from the immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki.
Mr. Dasuki, a retired army colonel, is also standing trial for allegedly laundering $2.1 billion.
During the proceedings, counsel to the EFCC, Silvanus Tahir, told the court that the charges against Mr. Metuh had been amended.
One of the counts reads:
“That you Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Limited on or before the 24th November, 2014 in Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable court took possession of the sum N400,000,000 (Four Hundred Million Naira) only, paid into the account of DESTRA INVESTMENTS LIMITED with DIAMOND BANK Plc. Account No. 0040437573 from the account of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd) the then National Security Adviser (To Wit; criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”
Justice Okon Abang then asked the PDP spokesperson to take a fresh plea to the amended charges, to which he pleaded not guilty.
