UPDATED: Orji Kalu Floors FG As Court Stops His Criminal Retrial

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday stopped the federal government from retrying former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, and his company, SLOK Nigeria.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, held that there is no order of the Supreme Court mandating their retrial.

The court had on July 2 adjourned to pass judgement on a suit seeking to stop the criminal retrial of Uzor Kalu.

Presiding judge, Inyang Ekwo, adjourned the case after the former governor’s counsel, Awa Kalu SAN (applicant), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and two other respondents argued their cases.

Recall that the former governor, who has been facing trial since 2007, was convicted and sentence to 12 years jail term for fraud, among other things.

But after about five months in prison, the Supreme Court held that the judge that convicted him had no jurisdiction to do so.

The apex court subsequently vacated the conviction and reassigned the trial back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.

But Kalu had filed a suit asking Justice Ekwo to make an order “prohibiting the federal government, through the EFCC, its officers, servants, others, agents, privies and any other person or bodies deriving authority from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, from retrying him on charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/2007 between FRN vs Orji Kalu & 2 ors, or any other charge based on the same facts de novo, there being no extant judgment and ruling of a competent court in Nigeria mandating same.”

EFCC opposed it ,arguing it will restrain them from carrying out their constitutional duties of prosecuting financial crimes.

But on Wednesday, Justice Ekwo upheld the prayers of the applicants.

However, the EFCC counsel said based on the judgement, they will decide whether to appeal it or not.