TRIAL opened on Monday at the Federal high Court, Abuja in the money laundering charge against the spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, with the prosecution calling two of its planned 18 witnesses.
The first witness, Nneka Ararume, an employee of Asset and Resource Management (ARM) Company Limited, who admitted she collected $2million cash from Metuh in his house at the Prince and Princess Estate, Abuja, in one day.
Ararume, a Wealth Manager at ARM, said she collected the cash from the PDP spokesman on December 2, 2014 with an instruction to invest the money in the name of his company – Destra Investments Limited.
The witness, who said she was assigned to manage Destra Investments Limited’s funds with ARM, said she later converted the $2million naira with the help of two Bureau De Change operators.
Led in evidence by the lead prosecution lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, the witness said: “Metuh gave me the sum of $2million in $100 bills. It was taken to Bureau De Change operators who would then transfer the money to ARM. From there (Metuh’s house), I proceeded to Sie Iyenome’s office at Wuse 2 where I gave him the sum of $1million.
“I also invited Mr. Kabir Mohammed and I also gave him the sum of $1million to transfer the naira equivalent in favour of Destra Investment Limited. Later on the same day, December 2, 2014 Kabir and Sie Iyenome confirmed the receipt.”
The defence also sought an adjournment after Ararume completed her testimony.
Under cross-examination by the defence lawyer, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), Ararume said Destra, owned by Metuh, had been ARM’s client before she was employed by the financial services company in April 2013.
When asked if she knew how long it took the defendants to accumulate the $2million he gave the witness in one day, the witness said “no.”