JUSTICE Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja has debunked the claim of the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, that they had known each other before the PDP’s spokesperson’s trial started in his court on January 15 this year.

The judge denied the claim and other allegations contained in a petition sent by one of Metuh’s lawyers, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, asking for the re-assignment of the PDP’s spokesperson’s trial to another judge.

Our correspondent sighted Justice Abang’s response, dated March 23, 2016, which was addressed to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

The judge, in his response, maintained that he never knew Metuh to be his classmate in the 1987/1988 set of the Nigerian Law School, which according to him, was made up of over 1,000 students.

He added that if Metuh had truly been his classmate, that would never change the facts of the case and the relevant laws.

Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, are being prosecuted before Justice Abang by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and his firm on seven counts of money laundering involving $2m cash transaction and contract fraud relating to the N400m the accused allegedly received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November, 2014.

At a point when the prosecution led by Mr. Sylvanus Tahir had closed its case with eight witnesses, and Metuh was expected to open his defence, Etiaba sent the petition, dated March 11, 2016, to the Federal High Court’s CJ, asking for the re-assignment of the case to another judge.

In the petition, Etiaba claimed that Metuh was a classmate of the judge in the 1988 set of the Nigerian Law School.

He claimed that Metuh and the judge both practised law in Lagos before the PDP spokesperson relocated to Abuja and Justice Abang, on his part, was appointed a judge.

Etiaba also alleged that Metuh met and had discussion with Justice Abang late last year at the L’e Meridien Hotel in Akwa Ibom State, adding that his client was baffled at the views expressed by the judge during their encounter.

The lawyer also accused the judge of denying his client fair hearing by refusing to release to the defence team a copy of the records of proceedings of the court to enable them to appeal against some decisions of the judge in the course of the trial.

But Justice Abang denied all the allegations in his letter to the Chief Judge.

The judge stated that he could not recall either seeing Metuh while at the Law School or coming across him while practising as a lawyer anywhere in the country before he (Abang) was appointed a judge in June 2009.

Justice Abang stated that contrary to Metuh’s claim, he never attended any function at the Uyo hotel where the PDP’s spokesperson claimed they met late last year.

He added that he did not see Metuh at the Law School class reunion meetings which he recently attended in Abuja, Lagos and Enugu.

The judge stated, “With respect to the first issue that the petitioner, Emeka Etiaba (SAN), stated that the 1st defendant in Charge FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016 was my classmate in the Nigerian Law School, my Lord, for the records, I was at the Law School in 1987/88 academic session.

“I am not aware that Olisa Metuh was my classmate in the Nigerian Law School.  I cannot recall seeing him in the time session in my time. In the Law School, we were over 1,000 students and we had then two sessions, morning that I attended.

“He is not from my place, Oron, in Akwa Ibom State. I did not see him as a student at the University of Calabar that I attended between September 1983 and June 1987. I have never met him in practice anywhere in the country before I was elevated to the bench in June 2009.

“Again, he claimed he met me at Le’ Meriden, Uyo, late last year. I was not at Le’ Meriden, Uyo, late last year. I had no function that I attended at the Le’ Meriden.

http://.com/metuh-lied-i-didnt-know-him-abang-tells-cj/

http://www.punchng.com/metuh-lied-i-didnt-know-him-abang-tells-cj/

lalasticlala, dominique, Mynd44

Hmmmmmm

El-oh-el

Looks like Abang could not be bribed by Metuh's legal team or it is a script being acted out to free Metuh of all charges by a seemingly 'hostile' judge.

Abang,must you be the judge in the matter.Some Oron men hate anything pdp.abeg shift.

utytill:
Abang,must you be the judge in the matter.Some Oron men hate anything pdp.abeg shift.

Wetin concern Oron men with this case now? Judges don't decide cases based on silly tribal sentiments, cases are decided based on law and evidence. Metuh should go and open his defence and stop employing silly tactics to delay the trial.

seunmsg:



Wetin concern Oron men with this case now? Judges don't decide cases based on silly tribal sentiments, cases are decided based on law and evidence. Metuh should go and open his defence and stop employing silly tactics to delay the trial.

Bros,95% of judges in lower courts are sentimental to tribal,religious and political affiliations.

Metuh had to wait for the prosecution to produce their 8 witnesses before recognizing his course mate. If anything, he should be happy that his classmate is handling his case, I would have thought that it would be the prosecuting team that would be concern about a classmate of the accused is handling his case. Metuh should start his defense and stop this Saraki's approach of running away from trial.