Tag: Metuh

The Capitalfield Investment Group Limited yesterday said it had no deal with the National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh on the N400million arms cash he collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser.

It said it was not involved in the $2.1 Billion arms deal scandal.

The company made the clarifications in a statement in Abuja against the backdrop of the alleged linkage of two accomplices of Metuh to its business.

The statement said: “The Capitalfield Investment Group Limited is a Group of companies with eight (8) subsidiaries, one of which is CIT Bureau De Change Limited. CIT Bureau De Change Limited is duly licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to carry on the business of foreign exchange.

“Contrary to the  news being peddled by some news agencies,  we would like to state that  neither Sie Iyenome nor Kabiru Ibrahim  mentioned  in recent publications,  are or have ever been a staff of Capitalfield Investment Group or any of its subsidiaries.

“However, we do have business transactions with Sie Iyenome who is an independent broker and a licensed Bureau de Change operator , through our subsidiary, CIT Bureau De change Ltd within the guidelines allowed by the law. We do not know or have any association whatsoever with Kabiru Ibrahim.

“Furthermore, we would love to state that we do not have any  relationship whatsoever with the $2.1 Billion arms deal scandal or any financial scandal whatsoever, and wish to  put it on record that we dissociate ourselves from any criminal breach of trust, corruption or any money laundering charges being preferred against the PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh.

“We hope that this will set the records straight and clear our good name  from misleading and insupportable,  image- damaging information about our organization.  We dearly cherish our image and integrity in the eye of the public,  even as we support  and commend the laudable efforts of  EFCC on the anti-graft crusade in the recovering of our collective wealth.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that a former Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Anthony Anenih, benefited from the N400million allegedly received by the party’s spokesman, Olisa Metuh.

EFCC accused Metuh of receiving the N400m from “an unlawful activity” of the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Mohammed Sambo Dasuki.

The commission said its investigation also revealed that Metuh allegedly transferred $2million, through one of his agents, Nneka Nicole Ararume, to Sie Iyenome and Kabiru Ibrahim of Capital Field Investment, an organisation it found not to be a financial institution.

These are contained in a seven-count charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016, filed yesterday by  EFCC, against Metuh and his company – Destra Investment s Limited – before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The EFCC was silent on why Metuh gave Anenih N21,776,000 and for what purpose.

The commission, which was also silent on what investment Metuh made with the $1m, said it will lead evidence to that effect at trial.

EFCC’s lawyer Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) said the commission will arraign Metuh on the charge once the court indicates its readiness.

Also yesterday, Justice Okon Abang of the Fedarl High Court, Abuja rejected

Metuh’s application to compel the EFCC to immediately respond to his fundermental rights enforcement suit.

Justice Abang, in a ruling, said the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules allow a respondent five days to respond.

He rejected the application by Metuh’s lawyer, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), to abridge the time within which the EFCC could file its response to his (Metuh’s) suit.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Ltd on or about November 24, 2014 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court took possession of the sum of N400m paid into the account of Destra Investments Ltd with Diamond Bank Plc account number 0040437573 from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award when you reasonably ought to have known that the said fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.

Metuh and his company are in count two accused of Converting the “N400m which sum was transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award, which you claim to have received for political activities of the Peoples Democratic Party when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds form part of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption and thereby committed an offence to Section 15(2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same ýAct.”

They are in count three accused of retaining the N400m “on behalf of PDP for its campaign activities by concealing the fund in your ýaccount with Diamond Bank Plc when ought to have known that such funds form part of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) and you thereby committed an offence contrary  to section 17(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012)”

They are in count four said to have “sometime between November 2014 and March 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, having reason to know that an aggregate sum of N400m, directly represented ýproceeds of an unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd), the then National Security Adviser (to wit: criminal breach of trust and corruption) in respect of the said amount used the said fund for the campaign activities of the Peoples Democratic Party and other purposes and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) and (4) of the same Act.”

Metuh and his company are accused, in count five, of making a cash payment of $1m around December 2, 2014 “through your agent, Nneka Nicole Ararume, to one Kabiru Ibrahim of Capital Field Investments,  a non-financial institution,  and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”.

In count six, the duo are accused of making “a cash payment, through your agent, Nicole Ararume, to one Sie Iyenome of Capital Field Investment, to the tune of $1m and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the same Act”

In count seven, the duo are said to have transferred “N21,776,000, being part of the sum of N400m which directly represented the unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, the then National Security Adviser, to wit: breach of trust and corruption, to Chief Tony Anenih and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.”

In an earlier proceedings, Justice Abang, after listening to arguments from Adedipe and Jacobs, in relation whether he could abridge the time for EFCC to respond to Metuh’s fundamental rights application, held that Adedipe was wrong to have attempted to stampede the EFCC to respond to Metuh’s suit.

The judge observed that since the law allows a respondent in a fundamental rights application to respond within five days, his court could not compel the EFCC to respond before the five days, having been served on January 13.

The judge, in a ruling, allowed EFCC to have its five days and adjourned till January 20 for the hearing of Metuh’s main fundamental rights enforcement suit.

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun has said his party is not apologetic about the anti-corruption war of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The scam in the money meant for the purchase of arms to fight terror has led to the arrest of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki, National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Olisa Metuh and others.

Noting that a lot of rot was left behind by the last administration, Odigie-Oyegun said Buhari’s anti-graft war was not a witch-hunt.

He spoke with State House correspondents after leading the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to an interactive meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said: “The APC is not in any way apologetic. We promised change and there is a lot of rot in the system. This must be cleansed whoever and whatever ox is being gored, wherever the tree is going to fall, so, let it be. We must get use to the fact that in the process of cleansing this nation, there is going to be a lot of bullet to bite.

“The APC has not been in office at national level in the last 10 to 16 years.  So, the issue of whether somebody is PDP or not PDP does not arise. We have a nation to cleanse. The President has committed himself to that and we should take it whatever way it comes. We are not being apologetic about that.

“It has nothing to do with witch-hunt. It just happened that the dramatis personae of the period happened to be on one side of the political divide. We have absolutely no intention to pressurise any group or any nation towards a one-party state. It is not in our interest so to do that because we need a vibrant opposition.

“We need an opposition that will contribute constructively to national discourse, that will make us sit up and deliver to the people what we promised. But the task is enormous and if anybody is ready to help to discharge these responsibilities, he is most welcomed.”

Stressing that the Bayelsa election has come and gone, he said the party has deep regrets that so much blood was unnecessarily spilled in the process.

According to him, the APC would consider the reservation expressed by its candidate in the Bayelsa election before deciding on the next step to take.

“We have a lot of reservations, some of which our candidate had eloquently expressed. We are going to examine what has come out carefully and decide the next line of action,” he said.

Declaring that there was no crisis in the Kogi election, he said: “No, no, people have gone to court. As far as the party is concerned, the Kogi issue is over. As far as the courts are concerned, issues are before them. I think as of last time there were six petitions before the courts and we leave it to the courts to consider and decide.”

He added that the meeting with Buhari was a normal interactive meeting.

“We were here to brief Mr. President on the state of the party, the challenges that we are facing, the numerous elections that we have to face in the next two, three months. As of today, we have 78 elections to contend with, mostly arising from court actions following the national elections.

“And we also took the opportunity to be briefed on the state of the nation and the great work the administration is doing in the face of intense challenges to tackle these issues and these problems.

“So, we are going away fulfilled and happy that government has substantially blocked the leakages in the system. There is still a lot to be done and we are looking forward to the early passage of the budget so that full implementation will begin.” Odigie-Oyegun said

Present at the meeting iwere Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal; Deputy National Chairman Lawali Shuaibu and Zonal Vice Chairman Chief Segun Oni, among others