{"id":49409,"date":"2016-05-19T23:35:12","date_gmt":"2016-05-19T22:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=49409"},"modified":"2016-05-19T23:35:12","modified_gmt":"2016-05-19T22:35:12","slug":"metuh-seeks-passport-release-medical-trip-abroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/metuh-seeks-passport-release-medical-trip-abroad\/","title":{"rendered":"Metuh seeks passport release for medical trip abroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"messagecontent\">\n<div class=\"leftcol\">\n<div id=\"messagebody\">\n<div class=\"message-htmlpart\">\n<div class=\"rcmBody\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The National Publicity Secretary of the People\u200es Democratic Court, Mr. Olisa Metuh, has applied to a Federal High Court in Abuja for the release of his passport to enable him to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Justice Okon Abang had ordered Metuh to deposit his passport with the court\u2019s registrar as part of the bail conditions granted him on January 19, 2016, with respect to his ongoing trial before the court.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Metuh, by his motion filed on May 16, seeks orders directing the court\u2019s registrar to release his passport to him and to permit him to travel to the United Kingdom for five weeks to get treatment.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">He stated in the application that his decision to seek treatment abroad was informed by the advice by a neurosurgeon in the National Hospital, Abuja following the injury he allegedly sustained after falling from a chair at the national secretariat on April 26.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limit\u200eed, on seven counts, including alleged fraudulent receipt of N400m from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014 to fund Peoples Democratic Party\u2019s presidential campaign ahead of the 2015 poll.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Other counts preferred against Metuh include alleged money laundering offences involving cash transaction of $2m without passing through a financial institution.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Justice Abang on Thursday reluctantly adjourned Metuh\u2019s trial and the hearing of his fresh motion seeking the release of his passport till May 23, after his lawyer, Mr. Emeka Etiaba (SAN), complained that his client\u2019s condition worsened overnight.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Etiaba told the judge that Metuh was rushed to hospital at about 1am on Thursday following a sudden change in his condition.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said he read Metuh\u2019s text message about the overnight development on Thursday morning but insisted that the defendant must attend the day\u2019s proceedings.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said he met Metuh at the court\u2019s car park on Thursday and realised that the PDP\u2019s spokesperson had vommitted in his car.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The lawyer said, \u201cWaking up this morning, I read a text from the first defendant (Metuh) informing me that he was rushed to the National Hospital by 1am.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cMy lord, I read that text this morning when I woke up and I responded that whatever it is he must be in court.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI drove in this morning and he (Metuh) was at the car park in his car. On getting there I realised that he had vommited profusely and his brother-in-law Mr. Andy, narrated how he was rushed to the hospital last night.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOn getting to the hospital, they met a lady doctor who said the nurses were on strike but they administered injection and drugs to him.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cThey also gave him a room but he was advised that since they had given him medical attention, that he should go home because the injection administered to him would make him to sleep.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cHe was also informed that because of the strike, the only available room was not cleaned up. He was advised to come back to the hospital by 8am.. he was only here based on my advice.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOur application this morning is for an adjournment.<br \/>\nBut for the reason that the 1st defendant is very weak, there is need to report back to the hospital because he cannot stand trial.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cI therefore plead with my lord to indulge us because this is a life threatening-situation. The defendant needs to stay alive to face his trial. This is a passionate appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Destra Investment Limited\u2019s lawyer, Tochukwu Onwugbufor (SAN), supported the application for adjournment.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Prosecuting counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, described\u00a0Etiaba\u2019s submission as an \u201coral affidavit\u201d but that he would not oppose the application for adjournment since it had to do with the defendant\u2019s health.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u200eJustice Abang in a bench ruling also said the issues raised by Etiaba were merely \u201csentimental\u201d as there was no evidence apart from the lawyer\u2019s oral submission to back the ill health claim.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">The judge said \u200ethe defendant ought to have invited the doctor who attended to Metuh in the hospital to give evidence on oath with respect to the defendant\u2019s ill health.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">But the judge said notwithstanding the failure of the defendant\u2019s lawyer to adduce tenable evidence, he would adjourn the case because \u201cthe court is also human\u201d.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">He adjourned till May 23 but with a directive that the trial would proceed day to day in line with provisions of section 396(3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: justify;\">Punch Newspapers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Publicity Secretary of the People\u200es Democratic Court, Mr. Olisa Metuh, has applied to a Federal High Court in Abuja for the release of his passport to enable him&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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