Chief Olisa Metuh is
currently being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for
allegedly collecting the sum from the office of the former National Security
Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).
The former National
Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, has
said he is in support of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
He stated that he was in
search of money to return to the Federal Government the N400m he was paid by
the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan for image laundering.
The N400m was alleged to be
part of money meant for the purchase of arms to wage war against insecurity in
the North-East.
Metuh, in a statement by
his lawyer, Mr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), in Abuja on Thursday, said he was ready
to refund the money.
The statement was titled,
‘Why our client (Chief Olisa Metuh) is offering to return the N400m – Counsel’.
Metuh said his earlier
proposal to return the N400m released to him by Jonathan, was because he did
not know where the money came from.
The statement added, “We
want to restate that at the time the money was released to him after his
presentation to the ex-President, our client had no knowledge of the source, a
fact that is now obvious from the evidence of the prosecution and the defence
witnesses.
“Our client had every cause
to believe that the money was from the ex-President to whom he made
presentation, received directives and rendered report and accounts accordingly.
“When the matter first came
up and Metuh was invited to the Office of the National Security Adviser in
December, 2015, he requested to know the source of the money and expressed his
readiness to make refunds if it was from the government coffers, not minding
that the money had been expended as directed by the former President.
“Officials at ONSA never
got back to him as they promised until his arrest by the EFCC in January,
2016.”
He stated that it was
during his prosecution that he got to know the source of the fund.
“It was however while in
court that a document was brought regarding the source of the money and since
then, our client has made manifest his willingness to return the money and has
indeed approached his family, friends and associates to mobilise funds to
return the entire N400m to the government regardless of the fact that the money
had been expended based on the directives of the former President and that part
of the money had been recovered from one of the prosecution witnesses,” the
ex-PDP spokesman said.
Metuh explained that since
then, he had been in talks with the Ministry of Justice, the EFCC and other
necessary bodies on how to refund the money and resolve the issue.
“His returning the money
therefore goes to show his support for the anti-corruption war as well as serve
as a testament to his sincerity, integrity and honesty in this matter,” the
statement added.
He said he would always
support the anti-corruption war of the government.
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