As the trial of Peoples Democratic Party spokesperson, Olisa Metuh continues, an agent of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has revealed to a court that the PDP chieftain destroyed a statement he wrote for the agency because former president Goodluck Jonathan was implicated in it.

Testifying before the court, the agent, Junaid Said revealed that Metuh admitted that he collected N400 million from the office of the National Security Adviser for political activities and personal needs.

He reportedly also made references to Goodluck Jonathan in the statement.

At the resumption of court on Friday, February 26, the EFCC amended its charge of “destruction of evidence” against Metuh to  a third-count of “Mischief” which contravened Section 326 punishable under Section 327 of the Penal Code according to EFCC counsel Sylvanus Tahir.

Metuh was arrested by the EFCC on Tuesday, January 5 in connection with the disbursement of $2.1 billion meant for purchase of arms by the ONSA but was reported to have destroyed the statement he wrote while in the custody of the agency.

Said told the court that: “My Lord, when he concluded writing his statement which was on four sheets of the EFCC statement form, I collected the statement and read over it, I then handed the statement over to my superiors Musa and Wetkas.”

“When I was handing over the statement, the defendant said he was surprised that he had written that much and that he felt he had given too much information. Because of the comment, I was worried I gave him the statement sheets one after the other for endorsement.”

He said Metuh approved of the first and second sheet but tore the third sheet, stating that the destroyed sheet was where the PDP spokesperson detailed the receipt of the money for the party’s political activities and made reference to Goodluck Jonathan.

“My lord, he suddenly tore the statement sheet into pieces, in great shock and surprise I stood up I asked him why he did what he did? He said he did that because he was no longer willing to give the information on that statement sheet.”

“I then requested the pieces of the statement, he declined and attempted to put them in his pocket, I then cautioned him and told him to respect himself, he insisted that he was going to dispose the torn sheet.”

“I persuaded him to handover the tore sheet and brought one plain paper before him, he poured the pieces on the plain sheet, my other colleagues were there looking at us in surprise as well.”

“Later, in the day he requested to make additional statement, which he made, wrote his name and signed but declined to make any other statement on the torn paper.’’

The EFCC’s incident duty station diary, EFCC’s pocket notebook and the torn pieces of paper were tendered and admitted as exhibits.

While being cross examined by Onyebuchi Ikpeazu, Metuh’s lawyer, Said admitted that the issue of the torn sheet was not written in the new statement.

EFCC’s lawyer then produced a photocopied statement when Ikpeazu demanded for a copy of the said statement in contention claiming that the defendant should have served him a notice to produce the document if he wanted to see it.

Presiding judge, Justice Bello said that the case could no longer continue until the original copy of the document was produced.

“Documents must meet the status as required by the law, there must be a certified copy of your documents.

“It is a healthy practice to produce the documents in your custody, especially in a criminal trial,’’ the judge told EFCC before adjourning the case to Wednesday, March 16.

Adebayo Emuleomo