UPDATED: Appeal Court Quashes Olisa Metuh’s 7 Year Jail Term

The Appeal Court Abuja, on Wednesday, quashed the seven year jail term imposed on former People’s Democratic Party’s spokesperson, Olisa Metuh, on the ground that the judge who sentenced him was bias.

A three-man panel led by Justice Stephen Adah gave the verdict in a unanimous judgment.

The judge that sentenced Metuh was Justice Okong Abang.

Punch reports that the panel said 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.”

THE WHISTLER had reported that Abang, while sentencing Metuh on February 25, ordered the closure of the company and the accounts of Dextra Investment limited in Diamond Bank and Asset Resource Management; adding that the amounts in those accounts be forfeited to the federal government.

He had also agreed with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the defendant used public funds for personal and PDP activities.

But Justice Adah of the Appeal Court faulted Abang’s attitude towards Metuh and thereby ordered that fresh trial be conducted under the supervision of another judge.

Also, Adah exonerated the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki from all allegations leveled against him in the judgement of Metuh.

He said that Abang did not grant Dasuki fair hearing while prosecuting the PDP former spokesperson.