A federal high court in Lagos has
convicted Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia state and chief whip of the
senate of N7.1 billion fraud.
Mohammad Idris, the presiding
judge, sentenced Kalu to 12 years in prison for money laundering.
The judge also ordered that
Kalu’s company, Slok Nigeria Limited, be liquidated and its assets forfeited to
the federal government.
Kalu stood trial on a 39-count
charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
The senator, Slok Nigeria
Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, a former director of finance and accounts in Abia
were accused of diverting N7.65 billion from the purse of the state government.
He is also accused of illegally
taking N460 million from Abia’s treasury.
“Slok Nigeria Limited – a company
solely owned by you and members of your family – to retain in its account,
domiciled with the then Inland Bank Plc, Apapa branch, Lagos, an aggregate sum
of N7,197,871,208.7 on your behalf,” one of the charges filed against Kalu
reads.
The offences are said to be in
contravention of section 17(c) of the money laundering (prohibition) act, 2004.
In the course of the trial, the
anti-graft agency argued that the defendants breached section 427 of the
criminal code act, CAP 77, Laws of the federation 1990.
It called 19 witnesses to help
establish its case.
Kalu’s corruption trial began in
2007, but the case suffered setbacks owing to legal spanner thrown into the
works by the accused.
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