Court of Appeal Rejects FG’s Request to Retry Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in N7.6bn Fraud Case

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed the Federal Government’s attempt to retry former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, in a N7.6 billion fraud and money laundering case.

The decision was made by Justice Joseph Olubunmi Kayode Oyewole in a ruling delivered on Wednesday.

The court found that the record of appeal submitted by the Federal Government was incompetent and unreliable for any court to use to grant its request.

The judge cited that the record of appeal was not properly compiled, signed, and certified by a person known to the law.

In 2019, a Federal High Court sentenced the former governor to 12 years in prison for stealing the large sum from the Abia State Treasury during his tenure.

However, the Supreme Court later voided and set aside the judgment on the grounds that Justice Mohammed Idris, who delivered it, was already a Justice of the Court of Appeal.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision, the Federal High Court was ordered to assign the case to another judge for a fresh trial.

However, Kalu obtained an order from the same court prohibiting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from initiating a new prosecution.

The Federal Government’s appeal against the decision was subsequently dismissed by the Court of Appeal due to the failure to produce proper records of the proceedings.

The court’s ruling effectively puts an end to the government’s bid to retry the senator representing Abia North in the N7.6 billion fraud case.