A legal adviser at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mr. Bali Ndam, has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the embattled People's Democratic Party National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, was one of the beneficiary of transfer of funds from the office of the National Security Adviser without duly signed and awarded contracts.
Ndam said the incumbent NSA, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, sent a petition dated November 28, 2015 to the commission over “payment of contracts without award”.
The witness said “a list of companies and individuals about 78 in number” was attached to the NSA’s petition to the EFCC, adding that Metuh's firm, Destra Investments Limited was among the beneficiary of the fraudulent payment.
However, the defence counsel, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu, opposed the attempt by the prosecution to tender the petition and other documents, including the electronic mandate issued by the ONSA to the Controller of the Abuja branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria for payments in favour of the 78 beneficiaries.
The judge is currently writing his bench ruling on the objection raised by the defence against the admissibility of the documents.
The EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, on seven counts of money laundering and fraudulent receipt of N400m meant for procurement of arms from from the Office of the NSA on November 22, 2014, and instead diverting the funds to PDP’s campaign activities.
The prosecution alleged that the N400m from which Metuh was said to have given about N21m to a former Chairman, Board of Trustee of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, was “part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity” of the immediate past NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd).
The prosecution, led by Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, opened its case on Monday by calling two witnesses – an employee of a financial services firm, Asset and Resource Management Company Limited, Nneka Ararume, and a bureau de change operator, Sie Iyenome.
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