Metuh Claims Ill Health, Fails To Show Up In Court

SAN FRANCISCO, January 10, (THEWILL) – Former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, was absent in court at the resumed hearing of the seven-count charge of money laundering filled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) claiming that he was ill and on admission at the National Hospital, Abuja.

When asked by Justice Okon Abang why his client was not in court, at the resumption of proceedings in the trial of the ex-PDP spokesman and his company, Destra Investment Limited, his lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), said Metuh was on admission at the National Hospital, Abuja.

“The first defendant is absent because he is sick. He was rushed to the National Hospital in Abuja on Sunday after he collapsed while trying to stand up from his seat to sing in his church,” Ikpeazu said,

He said Metuh was also taken from the National Hospital to an Indian hospital in Karu, Abuja, for further examination and later back to the National Hospital, where he was still being admitted in the hospital's Ward A4.

Ikpeazu said in view of some further examinations being carried out on his client, the hospital was unable to issue any medical report for him to present in court.

He urged the court to adjourn to the next day to enable him obtain a medical report from the hospital.

However, EFCC's lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, faulted Ikpeazu's claims urging Justice Okon to discountenance Metuh's claim of ill-health in the absence of a truly certified medical report to that effect opposing the application for adjournment on health ground, made by Ikpeazu.