Orji Kalu Gets Trial Dates for Money Laundering Charges

Former Abia State governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, today received March 2017 dates for his money laundering trial.
A Federal High Court in Lagos fixed five days from March 6 to 10 for the trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had on October 31, preferred a 34-count charge of laundering against Kalu and his former Commissioner for Finance, Ude Udeogo.
They had both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
At the resumed hearing of the case today, the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, stood down the suit till 1pm for trial to allow a decongestion of the court room.
When the case was called, the prosecution was unavailable. After waiting for a length of time, the court was compelled to adjourn the case to a further date.
Before adjournment, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo walked in and craved the court’s indulgence for his delay as he was attending to other matters.
After some arguments, the court then fixed further trial for March 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
In the instant charge, the accused were alleged to have committed the offence between August 2001 and October 2005.
Kalu allegedly utilised his company to retain in the account of a First Inland Bank (now FCMB) the sum of N200million.
The sum is alleged to have formed part of funds illegally derived from the coffers of the Abia State Government.
In one of the counts, his company (Slok Nig Ltd) and one Emeka Abone who is said to be at large, allegedly retained in the company’s account the sum of N200 million, on behalf of the first accused.
They allegedly utilised Manny Bank (now Fidelity Bank Plc), Spring Bank Plc, the defunct Standard Trust Bank and Finland Bank, now First City Monument Bank (FCMB).
In counts one to 10, the accused were alleged to have retained about N2.5 billion in different accounts, which funds were said to belong to the Abia state government.
Cumulatively, in all the counts, the accused allegedly diverted over N3.2 billion from the Abia State government’s treasury during Kalu’s tenure as governor.
The offence is said to have contravened the provisions of sections 15(6), 16, and 21 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2005.
It also contravened the provisions of the Money Laundering Act of 1995 as amended by the amendment Act No.9 of 2002 and section 477 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation, 1990.