Court orders criminal trial of Olisa Metuh to proceed in absence

In what seemed to be a no going back in its resolve to fight corruption to a standstill the Federal High Court Abuja has ordered the continuation of criminal trial of Olisa Metuh in absence.

READ ALSO: Woman murdered two weeks after sacking her guard and driver

Olisa Metuh was the former Publicity Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Justice Okon Abang, in a ruling on Wednesday, said the court was entitled to proceed with the trial in Metuh’s absence, considering the defendant’s previous several attempts to frustrate the trial and the way he allegedly conducted himself after he fell down in court on Monday.
The judge ruled, “The application by prosecution deserves to succeed.
“The trial shall proceed in the absence of the defendant. See Section 266(a) and section 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.”

READ ALSO: Chief Bisi Akande reacts to APC parallel congresses in states

The court also summoned the General Manager of the Channels Television in Abuja and a presenter with the television, Mrs. Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, to appear before the court on May 25.
The judge said the television’s officials were being summoned in respect of the prosecution’s allegation that the television aired prejudicial statements allegedly made by a lawyer in Metuh’s defence team, Mr. Ben Chuks Nwosu, during the medium’s Tuesday’s edition of Sunrise Daily.
Metuh fell down as he was making his way to the dock on Monday.
He was later taken away in the court’s ambulance and has since been absent from court during both the Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s proceedings.

READ ALSO: WICKEDNESS: Tochukwu killed his wife, put her corpse in a bucket for burial (REASONS FOR KILLING HIS WIFE WILL SURPRISE YOU)

But Justice Abang held on Wednesday that Metuh deliberately fell down on Monday.
The judge noted that Metuh chose to deliberately ignore the lawful directive of the court instructing him to remain seated and not to go into the dock.
He said Metuh chose to move towards the dock and then fell down.
He said Metuh went on to disturb proceedings by whimpering and groaning loudly “to give the impression that he was in pains” and made the court to look like an accident scene.

www.sojworld.com © May 23, 2018