Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has had all corruption charges handed him by the Federal High Court in Lagos quashed by the Supreme Court.
In the new ruling, the Supreme Court held that the Federal High Court acted without jurisdiction in the conviction of the former Governor of Abia State.
The new judgment therefore, set aside the conviction of Orji Kalu’s firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and the former Director of Finance in Abia State, Jones Udeogu.
Kalu and the co-accused were alleged to have stolen N7.1 billion from the Abia State treasury. While Kalu was sentenced to 10 years, Udeogu got a 12-year prison sentences.
The 7-man panel of judges at the Supreme Court judgment held that the Justice Mohammed Idris lacked the jurisdiction in convicting the accused.
The new verdict is predicated on the fact that Idris was no longer a judge at the Federal High Court at the time he passed the judgement. He had been elevated to the Court of Appeal prior to Kalu’s judgement and therefore erred in returning to the High Court to pass a judgment.
Justice Idris’s judgement haven been vacated, a fresh trial was ordered by the Apex Court for the defendants.
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