Finally, Court Orders Kalu’s Release From Prison

A Federal High Court in Lagos presided over by Justice Mohammed Liman has ordered the release of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu from prison.

Kalu had been held in prison despite the nullification by the Supreme Court of the sentence passed on him by a Lagos High Court.

The Supreme Court had held that the judge who sentenced him had been promoted to the Court of Appeal and as such erred when he proceeded with the trial to pronounce Kalu guilty on 36 counts of money laundering involving N7.1 billion of Abia State government funds.

The offences were allegedly committed while Kalu was governor of Abia State between 1999 and 2007.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Senator Kalu and a former director of finance and accounts, Government House, on the 36 count charge of laundering the N7.1 billion.

Justice Mohammed Idris who presided over the trial was midway into the trial promoted to the Court of Appealhad been promoted t

On December 5, 2019, Kalu was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment while Udeogu got a 10-year sentence.

However, the Supreme Court on May 8, nullified the trial of Kalu and his co-convicts on the claim that Justice Idris who presided over the had been elevated to the court of appeal at the time of the case, and ought not to have continued with the trial while he was an appeal court judge.

The Supreme Court held that Section 396(7) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, on which the former president of the Court of Appeal Zainab Bulkachuwa, relied on to authorise Justice Idris to return to the high court to conclude the trial was unconstitutional.

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