Judge orders Metuh to pay N375m to FG

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], Olisa Metuh, to pay N375m to the coffers of the Federal Government.

The judge sentenced the convicted Metuh and his firm, Destra Investment Ltd, of all the seven-count of money laundering preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC].

He, therefore, sentenced Metuh to seven years in prison and ordered that Destra Investment Ltd be wound up and all funds standing to its credit forfeited to the government.

The court found them guilty of unlawfully receiving N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser [ONSA] prior to the 2015 presidential election, without contract approval or execution.

Metuh was also convicted for involving in an illicit transaction that involved the exchange of $2million, in violation of extant financial regulations.

While he was sentenced to seven years on counts 1, 2, 4 and 7 of the charge, the count handed him five years on count 3, three years on count 5 and 6.

The firm was ordered to pay N25m with respect to both counts 5 and 6 of the charge.

The court held that the sentence would run concurrently starting from today.