TheCable

The failure of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to produce a required document – a written testimony of its prosecution witness, Junaid Saeed – compelled the federal capital territory high court trying  Olisa Metuh, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national publicity secretary, on charges of destruction of evidence while in EFCC custody, to adjourn to March 16.

Saeed, a detective at the EFCC, appearing as prosecution witness on Frida had narrated his encounter with the accused and alleged that Metuh made his statement in four testimony sheets, but tore the third sheet when it was presented to him to sign.

Led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Sylvanus Tahir, Sseed told Justice Ishaq Bello that Metuh did not eat the torn sheet.

During cross examination by counsel to Metuh, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the EFCC witness acknowledged that the presentation he made at the witness box was not exactly the same as the statement he made earlier to the commission in the same case.

When asked by Ikpeazu if his presentation and claims in court were the same as contained in his written statement at the EFCC, the prosecution witness answered, “to a large extent”.

Also, when asked if his claims in the court that Metuh tore the statement in pieces and boasted that “it can only be recovered in the movies” was contained in his original written statement at the EFCC, the witness said he could not recall.

The cross examination was however stalled when the EFCC lawyers were unable to produce the written statement of the witness to enable him refresh his memory as requested by the defence counsel.

The legal argument from the prosecution to use an uncertified copy of the document was refused by the judge, who agreed with the defence that only the original or the certified true copy was admissible in law.

When it became obvious that the EFCC did not have required document then in court, Justice Bello adjourned the case to March 16.