Former Abia state Governor Orji Uzor Kalu sentenced to 12 years in jail after being found guilty of N7.65bn fraud

Orji Uzor Kalu, past Governor of Abia state has been found guilty alongside two others of 7.65 billion Naira fraud by the Federal High Court in Lagos and jailed for 12 years.

The director of finance and accounts at the Abia state Government during Kalu’s tenure and his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited are the other two implicated in the charges.

In an amended 39 counts, the EFCC accused them of conspiring and diverting N7.65bn from the coffers of the state.

The prosecution had called 19 witnesses to prove how Mr Kalu, who was Abia State Governor between 1999 and 2007, procured Slok Nigeria Limited – a company solely owned by him and members of his family – to retain its account, domiciled with the then Inland Bank Plc, Apapa branch, Lagos, an aggregate sum of N7,197,871,208.7

The EFCC claimed that the sum N7.1bn formed part of the funds illegally derived from the treasury of the Abia State Government and therefore violating Section 17(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, liable to be punished under Section 16 of the same Act.

The defendant was also alleged to have taken a sum of N460 million which was reportedly diverted from the treasury of the Abia state Government treasury between July and December 2002. 

Apart from the N7.1bn, the ex-governor and the other defendants were also accused of receiving a total of N460million allegedly stolen from the Abia State Government treasury between July and December 2002.

Orji Kalu will face 12 years in prison after the judgement which is still ongoing at the moment. 

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