From: Godwin Tsa, Abuja
Hearing in the appeal by a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, against the ruling of the Federal High Court on his no-case submission has been fixed for February 9, 2018, by the Supreme Court.
The court will equally entertain a similar appeal filed by Metuh’s company, Destra Investment Limited.
Justice Dattijo Mohammed, who led the five-man panel of justices, fixed the date after counsel to parties adopted their addresses.
Metuh and his company had approached the apex court to set aside the May 24, 2016 decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which dismissed their appeals on the subject matter.
They are dissatisfied with the ruling of Justice Okon Abang who dismissed the applications at the trial court.
Metuh had argued that the two decisions had pre-determined his fate in the trial ahead of its determination.
Metuh is standing trial alongside his company, Destra Investment Limited, on a 7-count charge brought by the EFCC for allegedly receiving N400 million from a former National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki.
Earlier, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), Counsel to Metuh submitted that it had not been established that the funds received by his client to fund the President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 re-election were proceeds of crime.
He said the disbursements followed due process as reflected in the bank transactions already before the trial court as evidence.
Ikpeazu argued that Metuh had done no wrong, adding that the decisions of the lower court should be set aside.
However, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, Counsel to EFCC urged the court to dismiss the two appeals, adding that the appellants had opened their cases at the trial court.
He said the first appellant (Metuh) had so far called a number of witnesses to testify in the fraud suit.
Tahir, further said that the appellants should be interested in seeing to the conclusion of the case rather than tried to stop it.