WHY SENATOR ORJI UZOR KALU SHOULD NOT SUFFER DOUBLE JEOPARDY - A HUMBLE PLEA
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By Ben AHANONU Recently, the Appeals Court in Abuja, gave the Federal Government (FG), approval to challenge the judgement that barred the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, from reopening the trial of former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu. In two separate rulings by a three-member panel of Justices, the appellate court granted an extension of time to enable the FG to file processes to set aside the September 29, 2021, judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which stopped the EFCC from prosecuting the former governor, who is currently representing Abia North in the Senate. Senator Kalu, who was the Governor of Abia State from 1999 to 2007, was earlier convicted and handed a 12-year jail sentence by the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court. The trial court convicted him alongside his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and a former Director of Finance in the state, Mr. Jones Udeogu, over an allegation that they stole about N7.1billion from the Ab...