Alleged N7.1bn fraud: Court temporarily stops re-trial of former governor Uzor Kalu

Alleged N7.1bn fraud: Court temporarily stops re-trial of former governor Uzor Kalu

- Senator Orji Kalu has challenged the legality of the EFCC to prosecute him for an offense for the second time

- The former governor was previously prosecuted and found guilty of alleged money laundering

- However, his conviction was set aside due to a judicial misnomer

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The re-arraignment of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu over alleged N7.1 billion money laundering charges has been put on hold temporarily.

A Federal High Court in Abuja ordered a stay of proceedings on Monday, February 8, after it granted the former governor permission to challenge the legality of his retrial in the same charges, The Tribune reported.

Alleged N7.1bn fraud: Court temporarily stops re-trial of former governor Kalu
Orji Uzor Kalu arrives at the premises of the Federal High Court Abuja for a hearing over the allegations by the EFCC. Photo: @OUKtweets
Source: Twitter

The politician is seeking an order of perpetual injunction against the federal government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to prohibit his retrial so as not to be made to suffer double jeopardy.

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TVC News reported that the senator was granted 7 days to file his application and serve the document on the EFCC.

In another report, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) indicates that the Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the request by a group, Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPS), to probe former Zamfara state governor, Abdulaziz Yari.

PAPS had approached the court in an exparte application to order the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Yari for alleged misappropriation of N900 billion.

The group's request for an investigation was turned down during a hearing presided over by Justice Okon Abang on Thursday, February 4.

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Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has commenced the process of selling final forfeited assets in 25 locations across the country.

Read also

Abdulaziz Yari: Court rejects suit seeking EFCC to probe ex-Zamfara governor for N900bn fraud

The inter-ministerial committee on the disposal of assets forfeited to the federal government, which spearheads the process, made the disclosure on Tuesday, February 2, The Cable reported.

Dayo Apata, chairman of the committee, stated that assets recovery and disposal process were part of the administration of criminal justice.

Some of the properties prepared for sale included those recovered from Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, and Alex Badeh, a former chief of defence staff among others.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Kess Ewubare avatar

Kess Ewubare Kess Ewubare is a former senior political/current affairs editor at Legit.ng. He has a diploma in-law in addition to a BSc and a master’s degree in mass communication. Kess is a journalist with over 10 years of working experience in several fields of journalism ranging from radio presenting, television news reporting, newspaper reporter, feature and magazine writing as well as online and multi-media journalism.