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Senate Chief Whip and former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu (second left) and others at Federal High Court, Abuja, where he was to be arraigned by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged laundering of N7.1billion …yesterday PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA
Ex-gov asks court to prevent his ‘second trial’
Planned re-arraignment of former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, before Justice I. E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, could not proceed following objection raised by the prosecuting Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).
Director (Legal and Prosecution) of EFCC, Chile Okoroma, appearing for the prosecution, informed the court that the anti-graft agency had written to the chief judge of the Federal High Court requesting that the case be transferred to Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, which he argued has jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
Daily Post Nigeria
Published
The Federal High Court Abuja, on Tuesday, adjourned the arraignment of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, charged for alleged N7.1 billion fraud, until June 7.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was to arraign Kalu, following a Supreme Court order that he and his co-defendants in the fraud charge be retried, having quashed the 12-year jail sentence handed to them by a Federal High Court in Lagos.
When the matter was called, counsel to the EFCC, Mr Chile Okoronma, told the Court that there was a preliminary matter that needed to be resolved before the former Abia governor could be arraigned.
Channels Television
Updated February 2, 2021
Screenshot from the video showing Senator Orji Uzor Kalu inside the courtroom for his arraignment on Tuesday, February 2, 2021.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is seeking the transfer of Orji Kalu’s case file from the Abuja division of the Federal High Court to the one in Lagos State.
It will be recalled that Senator Kalu, who was the governor of Abia State from 1999 to 2007, was earlier found guilty and handed a 12-year jail term by the Lagos Division of the court.
The trial court convicted him alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, and a former Director of Finance in Abia State, Jones Udeogu, for allegedly stealing about N7.1billion from the state treasury.