Appeal Court Dismisses Metuh’s Appeal, Rejects Request To Travel Abroad For Medicals

Appeal Court Dismisses Metuh’s Appeal, Rejects Request To Travel Abroad For Medicals

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a former Spokesperson
for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, seeking to upturn
the decision of a Federal High Court, Abuja, not to release his
international passport for him to travel abroad.

Metuh who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC, for alleged N400 million fraud had on February 22,
2017, through his counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, applied for the release
of his passport in order for him to “travel to the United Kingdom for
five weeks to attend to his failing health”.

Justice Okon Abang had dismissed the application as “lacking in
merit”, and sternly warned his counsel against deploying tactics to
delay the trial, which has been ongoing since January 6, 2016.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Metuh had approached the Appellate Court, praying for the release of his travel document.

The Court of Appeal, however, on January 30, 2019 ruled that his
application was “an abuse of court process”, as he failed to disclose
cogent reasons for him to seek medical attention abroad.

His trial before Justice Abang continues on February 25, 2019.