Goodluck summoned to appear before Abuja court as witness in Olisa Metuh's corruption trial

FORMER president Dr Goodluck Jonathan has been summoned by Justice Okon Abang of the federal high court in Abuja to appear in person to testify in defence of a former Peoples Democratic Party publicity secretary Chief Olisa Metuh.

Earlier this year, Chief Metuh was arrested in connection corruption charges but has since been released on bail. Yesterday, when the matter came up in court, Justice Abang said he received Chief Metuh’s application for a subpoena to be issued on Dr Jonathan at about 3.59pm on Monday.

Chief Metuh and his company Destra Investments are facing seven counts of money laundering involving alleged cash transaction of $2m and fraudulent receipt of N400m meant for procurement of arms from the Office of the National Security Adviser. While being interrogated by the judge on Tuesday, a registrar of the court said its bailiff had yet to serve the subpoena on Dr Joanthan as of this morning, however.

Justice Abang said: “Indeed, at the close of business yesterday being October 23, 2017 precisely at about 3.59 pm, the registrar forwarded to the court in chamber a subpoena to compel former President Goodluck Jonathan to appear in court to testify at the instance of the first defendant Metuh. Therefore in line with section 241(1) of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and having regard to the subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal in the appeal CA/A/159C/2017, between Olisa Metuh and Federal Republic of Nigeria dated September 29, 2017 to the effect that it will be tantamount to violating the right of the first defendant to fair hearing not to sign the subpoena.

Most of Chief Metuh’s defence witnesses, including Ben Nwosu, who ended his testimony earlier yesterday, had insisted that the sum of N400m paid to him from the Office of the National Security Adviser  in November 2014, was directly authorised by Dr Jonathan. Onyechi Ikpeazu, Chief Metuh's lawyer, said the defence had written formally to Dr Jonathan notifying him of the intention to have him testify in court but that the former president did not reply.