The 7 charges against Olisa Metuh

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday filed a seven-point charge against the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016, filed yesterday against Metuh and his family company, Destra Investment Ltd before the Federal High Court, Abuja, the EFCC is pressing the following seven charges :

Count One;
“That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Ltd on or about November 24, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court took possession of the sum of N400m paid into the account of Destra Investments Ltd with Diamond Bank Plc account number 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 Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), 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."

Count Two;
This charge accuses Metuh of "converting N400m which sum was transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award, which you claim to have received for political activities of the Peoples Democratic Party when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds form part of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption and thereby committed an offence to Section 15(2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.”

Count Three;
Here, Metuh and his company are accused of "retaining the N400m on behalf of PDP for its campaign activities by concealing the fund in your account with Diamond Bank Plc when you ought to have known that such funds form part of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), 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)”

Count Four;
The accused are charged with having “sometime between November 2014 and March 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, having reason to know that an aggregate sum of N400m, directly represented proceeds of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption ) in respect of the said amount used the said fund for the campaign activities of the Peoples Democratic Party and other purposes 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)and (4) of the same Act.”

Count Five,
Metuh and Destra Investments Ltd are accused of making a cash payment of $1m around December 2, 2014 “through your agent, Nneka Nicole Ararume, to one Kabiru Ibrahim of Capital Field Investments,  a non-financial institution,  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”.

Count Six;
The accused are charged with making “a cash payment, through your agent, Nicole Ararume, to one Sie Iyenome of Capital Field Investment, to the tune of $1m and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”

Count Seven;
In this last count, Metuh and his company are accused of transferring “N21,776,000, being part of the sum of N400m which directly represented the unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, the then National Security Adviser, to wit: breach of trust and corruption, to Chief Tony Anenih and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 15(3)of the same Act.”