On July 27, 2007 the EFCC had arraigned Governor Kalu before the High Court in Abuja on charges of money laundering, official corruption and criminal diversion of public funds totalling over N5bn. he has since been fighting the charges but on April 27, 2012 the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division dismissed his motion seeking to quash the charges against him and his company, Slok Nigeria.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court followed suit in a unanimous judgment saying that the appeal lacked merit. A similar appeal by one of Governor Kalu’s associates Udeh Jones Udehogo was also dismissed by the Supreme Court on the same grounds.
In its unanimous judgments, the five-man panel of the apex court directed the chief judge of the Federal High Court to assign both cases to new judges for hearing. It also directed Governor Kalu and his associate to submit themselves for trial and in a swift reaction, the former governor said he was ready to face trial, reiterating his innocence.
Justice Galadima, whose judgment was read out by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, said: “The appellant had approached the Federal High Court, Abuja to quash the charges made against him by the EFCC. The Court dismissed the case and he went to the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division but he lost and approached this court.
“Having considered all issues raised and arguments by parties, I come to the conclusion that I cannot but help in dismissing this appeal for lacking in merit. It is dismissed."
Other members of the panel including Justice Mahmud Mohammed, the chief justice of Nigeria; Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Sylvester Nwgwuta and Datijo Mohammed agreed with the lead judgments in both appeals. Governor Kalu has, however, said he is ready to prove his innocence on the 107-count corruption charges brought against him by the EFCC.
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