The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the release from Prison of Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu.
Justice Mohammed Liman granted an application move by the Counsel to Senator Uzor Kalu. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission did not oppose the application.
In December 2019, Kalu was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was convicted of fraud to the tune of 7.1 billion Naira alongside Jones Udeogu, his former Director of Finance and Accounts when he was Governor of Abia State and his company, Slok Nigeria Limited.
The Supreme Court had on May 8, 2020, nullified Kalu’s conviction ordering a retrial of the case after the Former Governor filed an application seeking an order for his release from Prison. In Justice Ejembi Eko read the unanimous verdict of the Seven member panel of the Supreme Court. The highest Court of the land upturned the judgment of Justice Mohammed Idris against Kalu.
Despite the judgment, Senator Uzor Kalu was still detained at the Kuje Correctional Service. The Service held that once all conditions to secure the Kalu’s release are met, he would be let go.
The embattled Senator Representing Abia North had said in a statement after the Supreme Court judgement that his case was an initial injustice that was ultimately corrected.
“My case is a true Nigerian story with a bold MADE-IN-NIGERIA stamp on it. It is a story of initial injustice that was caught and ultimately corrected. It is a story of restoration. It is a story of how wrong was righted and how justice and truth prevailed in the end.
“A system whereby over 70% of all prison inmates’ population is made up of people awaiting trial cannot be allowed to continue. Situations where innocent people are falsely charged with murder just to get them out of the way does not dignify our country and cannot continue.
The anti-graft agency EFCC expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment saying the corruption charges against Kalu still subsists because the Supreme Court did not acquit him of them.
“The entire prosecutorial machinery of the EFCC would be launched in a fresh trial where justice is bound to be served in due course’
