SAN FRANCISCO, Former Spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, was absent as his trial continued at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday.
This was barely 24 hours after he collapsed in court as he walked to the dock on Monday and was later taken to the hospital.
At the trial which continued on Tuesday, counsel to his company, Destra Investment, which is also on trial with him, asked the court for an adjournment saying Metuh is receiving treatment at the hospital.
But the prosecutor, Mr Sylvania Tahir, in his reply, argued that it has not been brought to the notice of the court what transpired after the defendant was taken to the hospital, especially because the court did not invite the medical personnel who attended to the defendant.
Tahir insisted that Metuh is not entitled to enjoy the benefits of section 266 of ACJA saying it should not be presumed that the court or the prosecution knows the state of the accused person as there is no medical report before this court explaining the absence of the defendant in this case.
Mr Tahir said that there is no reasonable explanation for the absence of the defendant and so he cannot enjoy the benefits of section 266 of ACJA saying what is playing out is a complete disregard and disobedience to the authority of the court and the judiciary.
He added that a defendant cannot hold the court to ransom by doing things or taking steps deliberately intended to scuttle or frustrate the fair trial of a case
“We are urging the court to invoke the subsection A of the said act to take the conduct of the accused yesterday and continuance today as misconduct and proceed with the trial in his absence,” he stated.
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