FROM: GODWIN TSA, ABUJA
AFTER a marathon court session that gave rise to four preliminary rulings, a Federal High Court Judge, Justice Okon Abang yesterday ordered the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh to open his defence in the money laundering charges against him on Monday, April 11, 2016.
This was after Justice Abang had dismissed Metuh’s application asking him to disqualify himself from further presiding over the case on the ground that it was baseless and lacked merit.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, had also through a letter dated March 24, 2016 dismissed Metuh’s petition saying he was satisfied with Justice Abang reply to the petition.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Metuh and his firm before Justice Abang on a-seven count charge of money laundering, including $2m cash transaction.
Part of the charges preferred against them also bordered on the N400 million which the accused allegedly received fraudulently from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014.
However, after the prosecution counsel, Slyvanus Tahir had closed his case by calling eight witnesses, Metuh’s counsel, Chief Emeka Etiaba (SAN) sent the petition against the judge and filed the application asking him to withdraw from the case after the prosecution closed its case with eight witness and they were called upon to open their defence.
Both the petition and the motion were based on allegation of bias levelled against the judge.
Ruling on the application Friday, Justice Abang ruled that the allegation of bias against him was baseless.
“It is my considered view that the application lacks merit and it is hereby dismissed,” the judge ruled.
The application by Metuh, through his lawyer, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), asking the judge to disqualify himself was based on the allegation that the judge had been bias in the handling of the case.
The same allegation was part of the grounds in an earlier petition by Metuh’s lawyer asking the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Auta, to withdraw the case from Justice Abang and reassign it to another judge.