Olisa Metuh
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday continued with the trial of embattled former spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party Olisa Metuh in his absence and that of his lawyers.
Metuh has not attended trial since he slumped in court on Monday.
His counsels Emeka Etiaba (SAN) and Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) did not attend the Thursday and Friday proceedings.
No reason was offered for his absence.
But on Friday, the judge ordered the continuation of the trial after overruling an objection to the application by the EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir.
The objection was raised by Tochukwu Onwugbufor (SAN), the counsel for Metuh’s co-accused, Destra Investment Limited, who had argued that the law never envisaged that a criminal trial would ever be conducted behind a defendant and his counsel.
But Justice Abang ruled that although the court had ruled that the matter would proceed in Metuh’s absence, the absence of the defence team was designed to frustrate the trial.