The Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, May 16, 2016 filed an amended
34-count charge against Orji Uzor Kalu, former Governor, Abia State.
He is being
tried alongside his company, Slok
Nigeria Limited and the
state’s ex-Director of Finance in the State House, Udeh Jones Udeogu before
Justice Anwuri Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Kalu and his co-accused
are being accused of diverting the state’s funds to the tune of N5.6 billion
while they were in office between 1999 and 2007
Kalu, Slok and Udeogu were first
arraigned on July 27, 2007.
Upon
their arraignment in 2007, the defendants had challenged the competence of the
charge up to the Supreme Court, but los as the apex court ordered them to
submit themselves for trial.
On
April 11, 2016 when the case was mentioned, Justice Chikere adjourned to May
16, 2016 for the defendants to re-enter their plea.
However,
at the resumed sitting, counsel to Udeogo and Slok, Solomon Akuma, SAN, told
the court that the appeal filed in the name of Slok was yet to be determined by
the Supreme Court.
According
to him, "there is a third pending appeal by the third defendant (Slok
Nigeria Limited). There were three appeals. The appeal by the first defendant
has been determined. The second and the third appeal, SC 264A/2012, by the
third defendant are still pending.”
Responding,
counsel to EFCC, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, confirmed the pendency of the appeal but
urged the judge to fix a date for arraignment on the ground that the issues had
been substantially determined in the two earlier suits decided by the Supreme
Court.
Thereafter,
Justice Chikere adjourned to June 30, 2016 for parties to inform the court
about development in the appeal before the Supreme Court.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head,
Media & Publicity
No comments:
Post a Comment