September 27, (THEWILL) – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has denied reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja, has struck out a suit of money laundering filed against Olisa Metuh, the ex-National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Monday, media reports said an Abuja Federal High Court struck out a suit filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Metuh for retrial.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, had on Monday, reportedly described the seven-count in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2022, filed by the EFCC as an abuse of court process.
Justice Nwite was reported to have described the attempt by the commission to seek a retrial of the same matter still pending before the Supreme Court, as a gross abuse of the Judicial process.
But the EFCC in a press statement signed by its Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwajaren, on Tuesday, said the report was “a gross misrepresentation of the status of the case.”
The anti-graft agency said Metuh’s case was before the Supreme Court and not the Federal High Court.
“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to some reports in the media, alleging that the Federal High Court, FHC, sitting in Abuja, on Monday, September 26, 2022, struck out a suit filed by the Commission against former National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, for retrial.
“We wish to state unequivocally that there is no modicum of truth in those reports.
“Metuh’s case is presently pending before the Supreme Court, arising from the appeal by the Commission, as well as his own cross-appeal, upon the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which nullified the judgement of the trial court on alleged grounds of bias.
“There is, therefore, no pending case before the Federal High Court to warrant striking out of the same.
“It bears reiterating that the EFCC has no fresh application for retrial of Metuh before the court. There can be no striking out of a suit that was not initiated or filed before the court. Any report of striking out of a suit filed by the EFCC on Metuh is a gross misrepresentation of the status of the case and the public is enjoined to ignore such reports”, the statement read
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