ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has finally filed seven corruption charges against the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Olisa Metuh, after more than one week of being detained in their custody.
The charges which border on breach of trust, criminal diversion of public fund and money laundering was filed against Metuh at the Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja on Thursday.
There are however, strong indications that the Commission, which failed to arraign Metuh and his family company, Destra Investment Ltd , on Thursday, may likely do so tomorrow (Friday).
The charges indicated that the PDP spokesman in November 2014 obtained a sum of N400m through Destra Investment Ltd from the office of the then National Security Adviser (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki rtd on behalf of the PDP for campaign activities.
He was accused of converting part of the money to one million US dollars and diverted it for his personal use while another sum of N21.7m was transferred to another chieftain of PDP, Chief Tony Anenih.
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The charges read in part: “That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th November, 2014 in Abuja took possession of the sum of N400m paid into the account of Destra Investment Limited with Diamond Bank Plc, Account No: 0040437573 from the account of the office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund 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”.
“That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th November, 2014 in Abuja converted the sum of N400m paid into the account of Destra Investment Limited with Diamond Bank Plc, Account No: 0040437573 from the account of the office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund 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”.
“That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Limited on or about the 24th November, 2014 in Abuja, did retain the sum of N400m on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party of its campaign activities by concealing the said sum in your account with Diamond Bank Plc, when you reasonably ought to have known that such fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd), the then National Security Adviser, (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption), and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 17(b) of the same Act”.
“The you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Limited on or about the 2nd Dec. 2014 in Abuja did make a cash payment through your agent one Nneka Nicole Ararume to one Kabiru Ibrahim, a non financial initiation to the tune of $1,000,000.00 USD (One Million United States Dollars) only and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”.
“That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Limited on or about the 2nd Dec. 2014 in Abuja, did make a cash payment through your agent one Nneka Nicole Ararume to one Sie Iyenome of Capital Field Investment, to the tune of $1,000,000.00 USD (One Million United States Dollars) only and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”.
“That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra and Destra Investments Limited on or about the 4th Dec. 2014 in Abuja, did transfer the sum of N21,776,000.00 (Twenty-One Million, Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Thousand Naira) being part of the sum of N400m which directly represented 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) to Chief Anthony Anenih and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”.
