Court Finds Orji Uzor Kalu Guilty of N7.65bn Fraud

By Adedapo Adesanya

Former Governor of Abia State, Mr Orji Uzor Kalu, has been found guilty of a N7.65 billion fraud by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Thursday. 

At the ruling this morning, the court said Mr Kalu, who is now a member of the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly, committed the fraud when he ruled the south east state between 1999 and 2007.

He was found guilty alongside two others; his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and Udeh Udeogu, who was Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House during Mr Kalu’s tenure as Governor.

Mr Kalu is the current senator representing Abia North. He was re-arraigned by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in July 2018 on a fresh 39-count charge after the initial arraignment had been met with uncertainties.

In 2018, the EFCC closed its case after calling 19 witnesses and Mr Kalu and his co-defendants filed a no-case submission before the court.

However, before he could hear and rule on the no-case submission, Justice Mohammed Idris, the judge, was elevated to the Court of Appeal.

The judge, however, received a fiat from the appeal court president, Zainab Bulkachuwa, to return to the high court and conclude the case.

Rather than proceed to open their defence, Mr Kalu sought a six-week adjournment to enable him embark on a trip to Germany to have surgery for an undisclosed ailment.

The defendants later challenged the judge’s jurisdiction to hear the case, arguing that he was no longer a judge of the high court. They also filed an application for a stay of proceedings pending the outcome of their appeals to which the judge dismissed both applications.

When Mr Kalu did not present himself for trial, the judge revoked his bail and ordered him to submit himself to the EFCC within 24 hours of his return to the country.

Mr Kalu, however, failed to regard the judge’s directive and began campaigning for his senatorial election. Then in April this year, the Court of Appeal in Lagos upheld the high court’s decision against Mr Kalu.

The court initially fixed December 2 to deliver judgment but, last Friday, it announced that the judgment would be delivered on Thursday, December 5.

Mr Kalu was a governor under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) but defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) where he contested and won a senatorial seat and is currently the chief whip in the senate.