Metuh may ask court to summon Jonathan as witness in alleged N400 billion fraud trial

Dasuki to testify tomorrow

Former National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, yesterday told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, of his intention to apply for subpoena compelling former President Goodluck Jonathan to appear in court to give evidence in his ongoing criminal trial.

Counsel to Metuh, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), told the court of his intention to subpoena another witness.When Justice Abang enquired further, Ikpeazu named former President Goodluck Jonathan and explained why he did not tell the court before now of the intention to ask the court to summon the former President.  

He said: “We wrote to President Jonathan but he did not respond. Our plan is to apply for subpoena after the already summoned witness, Dasuki, had testified.”   

In his ruling, Justice Abang insisted that Dasuki should appear in court tomorrow, October 25, 2017 to testify while the defence counsel would be allowed to call any other witness to testify.

Abang’s turnaround decision to allow Dasuki appear as a defence witness followed the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal which upheld Metuh’s application seeking to upturn Abang’s ruling against Dasuki’s appearance as a witness.

The Appeal Court had on September 29 ordered Justice Abang to sign a witness summon (subpoenae) brought before him by Metuh to compel Dasuki to come and testify as defence witness.  

The appellate court also ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to produce Dasuki in court for that purpose.However, counsel to Dasuki, Ahmed Raji (SAN), has asked the court to suspend the order mandating his client to appear in court pending his release from the custody of the DSS where he had been since December 2015.  

Raji further told the court that his client, Dasuki, had filed a motion on notice to that effect, dated October 20, filed same day, but served on parties involved in the matter only yesterday morning.  

According to him, the application was seeking an order to set aside the issuance and service of subpoena given by the court, and also to suspend the execution of the order pending the release of the applicant, Dasuki, from the custody of DSS.

He said Dasuki had been in the custody of the DSS in spite of several orders by both national and regional courts for his release to enable him prepare for his trial.