Federal High Court, Abuja, has given an order to stop the retrial of the former Governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Inyang Ekwo of Federal High Court, Abuja, has stopped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from retrying the Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu.
The Judge gave the order while delivering the ruling in an application filed by Kalu seeking a court order to prohibit the EFCC from retrying him on a charge for which he had already been tried and convicted.
The former Governor, a serving senator, was earlier convicted of N7.1billion fraud and was already serving a 12-year jail term for the offences when the Supreme Court, on May 8, 2020, nullified the proceedings leading to his and his co-defendants’ conviction.
The Supreme Court’s judgement delivered on an appeal by Kalu’s co-defendant, Ude Udeogu, had ordered a retrial at the Federal High Court.
Following the apex court’s judgement, Kalu got out of prison and quickly applied to the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop his retrial.
Justice Ekwo, while delivering a ruling on the application on Wednesday, said, “An order is hereby made prohibiting the federal government through the EFCC from retrying the applicant on charge no. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007 since there was no order in the judgement of the Supreme Court for the retrial of Kalu.”
The Judge who held that the apex court’s verdict did not order the retrial of Kalu, ordered EFCC to retry Kalu’s co-defendant, Ude Udeogu, the Former Director of Finance and Accounts with the Abia State Government.
