Supreme Court orders prosecution of Orji Uzor Kalu for money laundering

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been given legal authorisation to prosecute former governor of Abia state, Orji Kalu for a 107 count corruption charge.

Kalu was alleged to have committed the crime of money laundering and illegal diversion of public funds worth N5.6 billion while he held sway as governor of the state between 1999 and 2007.

Although he was arraigned before Abuja Federal High Court in 2007, but he challenged the jurisdiction of both the High court and Appeal court to try his case while also requesting that the criminal charges against him be dropped.

The former governor had argued that the EFCC failed to establish a ‘prima-facie nexus’ linking him to the ingredients of the offence contained in the charge.

But on Friday, March 18, Justice Suleiman Galadima of the Supreme court in a unanimous judgment, dismissed the appeal and ordered Kalu to go and face his trial before the High court.

The court said Kalu has a case to answer pertaining to the allegations that were leveled against him by the EFCC.

The Supreme Court also ordered the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, to re-assign the case to another Judge to enable the fresh commencement of the trial.

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