The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has today adjourned the arraignment of former Governor of Abia state, Senator Orji Kalu, who was charged for N7.1 billion fraud while a governor.
The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) was set to arraign Kalu after the apex court let him off the hook and ordered for his retrial with his co-defendants in fraud charges leveled against them after it squashed the 12-year jail term handed to him by the Federal High Court in Lagos.
When the case was called in court, Mr. Chile Okoroma, counsel to the EFCC informed the court that there were preliminary activities the anti-graft has to conclude before the proper arraignment.
According to EFCC, the prosecution has sought the permission of the court to transfer the case to a Lagos Division of the Court for a continuation of the trial.
Okoroma said, “Looking at the charge sheet, no element of any of the offenses took place in Abuja.
“We will be asking that the matter be adjourned “sine die” (indefinitely) while we await the response from the chief judge,”.
According to the counsel, proceeding with the case at the Abia state Division of the court will be a futile effort.
However, the presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, insisted that the matter cannot be adjourned indefinitely but must be specific on when they should return to court.
Consequently, he adjourned the case to June 7, 2021, to report to the court on whether the case shall be continued in Abuja or to move to Lagos.
In his ruling, he said, “Having rejected an application for an adjournment sine die, I hereby make an order adjourning this matter until June 7,”.
Recall Senator Orji Uzor Kalu was convicted by the Lagos division of the Federal High Court o Dec 5th, 2019 for twelve years of jail term for defrauding his state while serving as a governor using his company, Slok Nigeria limited of N7.1 billion.
In a dramatic way, the Supreme Court let him off the hook by squashing the case and ordering for a fresh retrial. In a seven-man panel, the Supreme Court quashed all the processes that lead to Kalu's conviction.
The Apex court in its defense said the judge who convicted Kalu was already elevated into Appeal Court at the time he delivered the judgment.
It said that Justice Idriss was no longer a Judge of the Federal High court as at the time he passed the judgment on Dec. 5th, 2019, where he found Kalu guilty of all his crime.
