Efcc To Probe Badeh, 38 Officers ’ 12 ‘Dirty’ Deals

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday remanded the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisah Metuh, in Kuje prisons pending when his bail application will be heard on January 19. The Federal Government had arraigned Metuh on a seven counts bothering on money laundering to the tune of N400 million received fro the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser ONSA, being part of the funds meant for the purchase of arms to fight the Boko Haram. Metuh had for over a week been in the custody of the anti-graft agency.

The court had on Thursday fixed January 20 to hear Metuh’s application seeking to enforce his fundamental human rights and his release from detention. There was however, a twist of event when yesterday the EFCC arraigned Metuh before Justice Okon Abang. Metuh was charged alongside his company, Destra Investment Limited.

When the charge was read, the accused person pleaded not guilty to the seven counts. Defence counsel, Ifedayo Adedipe SAN, however informed the court of his application seeking to admit the accused person to bail, on the ground that the offence is a bailable one. The trial judge, Justice Abang, later adjourned till January 19 to hear the bail application and also ordered that the accused person be remanded in Kuje prison pending the next adjourned date.

Metuh, in the charge, which was filed by Rotimi Jacobs SAN, was alleged to have collected N400 million out of the money meant for the purchase of arms deal from the Office of the National Security Adviser. The charge reads reads; *That you Olisah Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th day of November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the court took possession of Four Hundred Million naira only paid into Destra Investment Limited account with Diamond Bank PLC, account number:0040437573 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser without contract award when you reasonably ought to know that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offense contrat to Section 152(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 Olisah Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th day of November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the court took possession of Four Hundred Million naira only paid into Destra Investment Limited account with Diamond Bank PLC, account number: 0040437573 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser which you claimed to have received for political activities of the Peoples Democratic Party activities when you reasonably ought to know that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offense contrat to Section 152(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 Olisah Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th day of November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction did retain the sum of Four Hundred Million naira only paid into Destra Investment Limited account with Diamond Bank PLC, account number: 0040437573 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party for its campaign activities by concealing the said sum in your account with Diamond Bank PLCwhen you reasonably ought to know that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and thereby committed an offense 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.

*That you Olisah Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th day of November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court having reason to know that the aggregate sum of N400 million only paid into Destra Investment Limited account with Diamond Bank PLC, account number: 0040437573 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser represented the proceeds of the unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) in respect of the said amount used the said fund for the activities of the campaign activities of the PDP and other personal purposes and thereby committed an offense 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 Olisah Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th day of November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court did make a cash payment through your agent one Nneka Nicle Ararume to one Kabiru Ibrahim, a non financial institution to the tune of one million US dollars only, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering Act (Prohibition) Act, 2001 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2) of the same Act.

*That you Olisah Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th day of November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court did make a cash payment through your agent one Nneka Nicle Ararume to one Sie Iyenome of Capital Field Investment of the tune of one million US dollars only, thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering Act (Prohibition) Act, 2001 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2) of the same Act.

*That you Olisah Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on or about the 24th day of November, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court did transfer the sum of N21, 776,000 being part of the N400 million which directly represented proceeds of the unlawful activity of Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) to Chief Anthony Anenih and thereby committed an offense 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.