TheCable

Okon Abang, justice of the federal high, court, Abuja, has stood down the trial of Olisa Metuh, spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to 12pm after the prosecution and the defence counsel failed to show up.

Both counsel, however, sent letters to the court notifying it of their absence.

Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), counsel to Metuh, in his letter, asked the court to adjourn the trial for the reason that he was attending to a medical appointment at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

But Tahir Sylvanus, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); the prosecution, in his own letter, asked for a stand-down until 12pm instead.

Tahir explained that he was handling a case at the supreme court as of 9am, on Thursday.

The judge, thereafter, ruled that the matter be stood down until 12pm.

On March 9, Abang had ruled that Metuh had a case to answer in the criminal charges filed against him by the EFCC.

He, however, held that it did not imply that Metuh had been pronounced guilty, but that he would have to make his defence.

The judge had stated that the PDP spokesman needed to offer an explanation to the evidence brought before the court.

He had explained that Metuh needed to offer explanations on how he received and disbursed the money given to him by the office of the former national security adviser.

He dismissed Metuh’s application to quash the charges against him for lacking in merit.

The PDP spokesman is facing a seven-count of charge of criminal breach of trust and money laundering to the tune of N400m.

He maintains that he is innocent of the charges, and that he only received the sum of N400m from the office of the former national security adviser to carry out media campaigns for former President Goodluck Jonathan.