The Supreme Court has voided the 12 years jail term slammed on Former Governor of Abia State, Uzor Kalu.
The Federal High Court in Lagos had on December 5, 2019, sentenced Kalu, to 12 years’ imprisonment for N7.2 billion fraud and money laundering.
However, Kalu’s appeal to the Supreme Court was held on Friday and the seven-man panel unanimously annulled the lower court judgment and ordered a fresh trial.
The apex court ruled that the trial Justice Mohammed Liman was no longer a judge of the Federal High Court as at the time he sat and delivered the judgement that convicted the defendants for allegedly stealing about N7.1billion from Abia state treasury.
On December 5, 2019, a Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced Orji Kalu, to 12 years’ imprisonment for N7.2 billion fraud and money laundering.
The court convicted Kalu, now a senator, on all the 39 counts preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission charge. Kalu was charged alongside a former Commissioner for Finance, in the state Jones Udeogo, and his company, Slok Nig. Ltd. While Kalu and his company were found guilty of all the 39 counts, Udeogo was convicted on 34 counts and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
