FORMER National Publicity Secretary of the
Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh has opted for a plea bargain with
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to refund the sum of N400m
diverted from the fund earmarked for arms from the office of the National
Security Adviser,Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) during the erstwhile administration of
Goodluck Jonathan.
Others alongside seeking for plea bargain to
return loots from the treasury are ex-Chiefs of Air Staff, Air Marshals Adeshola
Amosu and Mohammed Dikko Umar who were arraigned on various charges...
Umar was arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako
of the Federal High Court, Abuja on a seven-count charge bordering on money
laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption of about N9.7billion.
Amosu was arraigned at a Federal
High Court in Lagos alongside Air Vice marshal (AVM) Jacob Adigun and Air
Commodore Gbadebo Olugbenga, on a 26-count of stealing about N50 billion.
In a statement by the anti-graft agency, the
EFCC confirmed that the three accused persons have filed requests for plea bargain
with the commission, however declined to give details.
“We have formally received letters of plea
bargain from three accused persons — Metuh, Umar and Amosu— we are
studying their terms.
“We may enter into a plea bargain with the
accused persons if it will serve the public interest. The interest is getting
back the stolen funds. If they can fulfill this condition (public interest), we
may accept their offers”, a source in EFCC said.
It was learnt that the anti-graft agency has
struck an agreement with the police and other security agencies to protect the
witnesses contending that since the list of all the witnesses has been attached
to charge sheets in courts in Abuja and Lagos, the witnesses have become vulnerable
and reasonably deserved protection.
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