The conviction and seven-year prison sentence handed a former PDP spokesman Olisa Metuh has been overturned by a three man panel of the Court of Appeal Abuja.
Metuh was sentenced to prison by Justice Okon Abang for fraudulently receiving N400 million from the office of the then National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retired).
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The panel of the appellate court led by Justice Stephen Adah in a unanimous judgment stated that the proceedings of the Federal High Court leading to the conviction of Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited, had traces of bias, therefore, should not be allowed to hold.
Justice Adah who delivered the lead judgment on Wednesday held that the remarks by the trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, during the course of the trial, established that he was prejudiced against the convicts.
The panel, therefore, ordered a retrial be conducted. Also, Justice Adah ordered the case file be returned to the Chief Judge for reassignment to a different judge.
