National News Special Report
ALLEGED N7.6BN FRAUD: ORJI KALU'S TRIAL TO RESUME JULY 22
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Afnews Editor
Jul 15, 2019
The 13-year-old trial of a former governor of Abia State and
Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Uzor Kalu, will
resume at the Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos on Monday, July 22.
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This is after President of the Court of Appeal, Justice
Zainab Bulkachuwa, gave a fresh fiat to the trial judge, Justice Mohammed
Idris, to enable him to return to the court to conclude the case.
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Justice Idris was elevated from the Federal High Court to
the Court of Appeal in June 2018. But he continued to hear the case after the
President of the Court of Appeal initially granted a fiat for him to do so.
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The fiat was granted at the instance of Kalu's Lawyer,
Professor Awa Kalu (SAN) who activated Section 396(7) of the Administration of
Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, in order to prevent the case from being transferred
to another judge to start afresh.
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That fiat expired in November 2018.
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A copy of a Fresh Fiat has however stated that the trial
will now commence on the 22nd of July and will continue from day to day until
the trial is concluded.
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Kalu is standing trial alongside his former Commissioner for
Finance, Ude Udeogo, and a company, Slok Nigeria Limited, on an amended 39 count
of money laundering to the tune of N7.6billion.
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On July 31, 2018, Justice Idris dismissed the 'no-case
submissions' made by Kalu and the other defendants and ordered them to open
their defence.
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But rather than open their defence, Kalu sought a six-week
adjournment to embark on a trip to Germany to have surgery for an undisclosed
ailment.
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The defendants later challenged the jurisdiction of the
judge to hear the case, arguing that he was no longer a judge of the high
court.
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They also filed an application seeking a stay of proceedings
pending the outcome of their appeals. Justice Idris dismissed both.
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When Kanu did not subsequently make himself available for
his trial, Justice Idris revoked his bail.
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The judge also ordered him to submit himself to the EFCC
within 24 hours of his return to the country.
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On January 23, 2019, when the case last came up in court,
the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), complained about Kalu's repeated absence
from court, alleging that the former governor, then a senator-elect, was taking
the court for a ride. The counsel also noted that despite the court's order,
Kanu did not turn himself into the EFCC.
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"He (Kalu) kept on campaigning for his senatorial ambition,
slapping the court in the face; his attitude is unbecoming,ÔÇØ Jacobs said while
urging Justice Idris to continue the hearing in Kalu's absence.
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But in response, Justice Idris said he could not proceed
with the case as a second fiat given to him by the Appeal Court President had
expired in November 2018. (ScamNews)
