Metuh, Kanu Know Fate Soon: Appeal Court Reserves Judgments

By Onitsha Shedrack—–

The National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu will soon know their fate as the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday reserved judgments in two separate appeals.

Reserving judgement in the cases; the chairman of the three-man panel of the appeal court, Justice Abdul Aboki, said dates of judgments would be communicated to parties through their counsels after it heard the appeals on Thursday.

Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited had appealed the ruling by Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja dismissing their no-case submission.

Dismissing Metuh and his company no-case submission, Justice Abang ordered them to enter defence, but not satisfied they approached the Court of Appeal.

The EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and his company before Justice Abang on charges of money laundering and alleged fraudulent receipt of funds from the Office of the National Security Adviser.

According to The PUNCH, Metuh’s lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), and lawyer to his company, Tochukwu Onwugbufor (SAN), faulted Justice Abang’s reasoning in rejecting their clients’ no-case submission.

They therefore urged the court to set aside high court’s ruling, uphold their clients’ no-case submission and quash the charges against them.

However, while responding, EFCC’s lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, urged the court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit and for being defective.

Tahir noted that the appeal being an interlocutory one, the appellants were required under the law, to first obtain the leave of the trial court.

He argued that having not fulfilled the condition precedent, the appellants cannot claim to have a valid appeal before the court.

On their part, Kanu and his co-accused, David Nwawusi and Benjamin Madubugwu, had appealed against the ruling of Justice John Tsoho also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in which the judge agreed to the prosecution’s request to shield the identities of its witnesses in Kanu’s trial on charges including treasonable felony.

Kanu is contending in his appeal, that Justice Tsoho’s March 7 ruling, having earlier on February 19, refused the prosecution’s motion for witness protection.