Alleged N7.1bn fraud: Court fixes July 2 for Orji Uzor Kalu’s retrial
Judiciary
The trial court convicted the former governor alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and a former Director of Finance in Abia State, Jones Udeogu, for alleged N7.1 billion fraud from the state treasury.
However, the Supreme Court, in its judgement on May 8, quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial of the defendants by the EFCC.
In a unanimous decision by a seven-member panel of Justices, the Supreme Court, nullified the entire proceedings that led to Kalu’s conviction, stressing that the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, was already elevated to the Court of Appeal, as at the time he sat and delivered a judgement against the defendants.
It noted that Justice Idris was no longer a judge of the Federal High Court as at December 5, 2019, the day the former governor and his co-defendants were found guilty of the money laundering charge against them.
According to the Supreme Court, Justice Idris, having been elevated to the Court of Appeal before then, lacked the powers to return to sit as a High Court Judge.(NAN)
– June 23, 2021 @ 13:23 GMT|
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