seven years jail term imposed on a former spokesperson of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, by Justice Okon Abang of the
Federal High Court, Abuja.
The Court while freeing Metuh described the judgment leading to his
conviction as bias and malicious.
A three-man panel of the court led by Justice Stephen Adah in a
unanimous judgment held that the proceedings of the Federal High Court
leading to the conviction of Metuh and his company, Destra Investment
Limited, were tainted with bias and therefore must not be allowed to
stand.
Justice Adah who delivered the lead judgment on Wednesday held that the
utterances of the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, in the course of the
trial, established that he was biased against the convicts.
The Appellate Court, therefore, ordered that trial be conducted afresh.
He directed that the case file be sent back to the Chief Judge of the
Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge other than Justice
Abang.
Justice Abang had in his judgment delivered on February 25, sentenced
Metuh to seven years imprisonment for fraudulently receiving N400
million from the office of the then National Security Adviser, Colonel
Sambo Dasuki (retired).