A statement made available and signed by Barr. Ben Nwosu, Counsel to Chief Olisa Metuh, Saturday, said the petitioner represents a non-existent former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly as ‘no such individual ever served in that legislative house.’
It would be recalled that the EFCC, announced, Friday, it had formally received a petition asking the agency to probe ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on the alleged mismanagement of $2.1billion released to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for arms purchase.
The petition dated May 24, according to the anti-graft agency, which came from a former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Ikenna Ejezie, through his counsel, Barrister Osuagwu Ugochukwu, is also requesting the EFCC to invite Jonathan for interrogation on why he made N400million public funds available to a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, for personal and private party use.
It was the first petition the EFCC will formally receive demanding the investigation of Jonathan.
Both President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami, were copied the petition.
The petition read: “We are solicitors to Hon. Ikenna Ejezie hereinafter called our client and with you as he has instructed.
“Our client is requesting you to, in the public interest, invite ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for questioning and possible prosecution over his role in the misuse of $2.1billion through the Office of the National Security Adviser (Col. Sambo Dasuki rtd) and disbursement of N400million funds to Olisa Metuh for personal and private political party use.
“Our client notes that Dasuki had stated severally whilst in your commission that the $2.1billion was authorized for disbursement by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for arms purchase, but later turned out to be for selfish purpose.
Olisa Metuh also had admitted that former President Goodluck Jonathan transferred and/ or authorized release of N400million public funds to his account for political campaign of Jonathan rather than for public interest.
“Our client informed us that the confession of Olisa Metuh is contained in his criminal statement with the EFCC.
“Our client is thus shocked that in spite of the implication of ex-President Jonathan in the current prosecution of Metuh and Dasuki, the former President has not been invited for his statement to be taken nor has he been prosecuted by the EFCC as co-accused/ defendant.
“Our client herewith requests that the ex-President be invited for questioning and to commence prosecution as he was the one who did authorize the disbursement of the $2.1billion and N400million public funds that were illegally abused and misappropriated by Dasuki and Metuh who are both standing trial in various courts in Abuja.
“Our client demands that this request be responded to within seven days from the receipt of this letter and as quickly as possible.”
However, while reacting to the purported petition, Barr. Ben Nwosu, said: “Our attention has been drawn to reports in the media regarding a petition by one Barrister Osuagwu Ugochukwu claiming to be representing a non- existent former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, given as Ikenna Ejezie, and asking the EFCC to invite and interrogate ex-President Goodluck Jonathan on issues relating to the on-going trial of our client, Chief Olisa Metuh.
“Whereas we note that Barrister Ugochukwu has links with the EFCC and had appeared on behalf of the commission while representing its former Chairman, Ibrahim Larmode at a hearing in the National Assembly last year, the claim that the petition is on behalf of a former member of Enugu State House of Assembly is false as no such individual ever served in that legislative house.
“However, we have thoroughly studied the petition and for the avoidance of doubt, wish to state as follows.
“1. The petition is not really against ex-President Jonathan but actually a calculated attempt targeted at swaying public sentiments and the judiciary against our client in this orchestrated and well-funded media trial. The idea is to sway the minds of the public and the court to get a conviction based more on media trial than the laws of the land.
