By Ogochukwu Isioma
Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Saturday, wept profusely during the valedictory session of the 9th Senate, saying he was wrongful jailed by Nigeira, adding that he is not a thief and the country has not been fair to him despite his contribution to nation building.
Kalu, who was prosecuted over an alleged N7.1bn fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for over 12 years, recalled how he donated money to nurture the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former Abia governor who earlier noted that his valedictory remarks would be a little bit emotional, wept while speaking, narrating how he has been treated politically, especially by those he helped build.
Kalu said: “Before I came into politics, I could buy anything money can buy. I’m not a thief. Those that put me in prison know the reason. They took over my businesses and wanted to kill me yet I survived it and I’m in the senate with you.
“I have never lacked, while I was in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where I served for two terms as governor, I brought the money that they used in forming that party, every penny, in 1997 and 1998, and I later became a thief.
“People I gave transport money from my house in Victoria Island became agents. This is what Nigeria represents. Thank you for giving me these four years of uninterrupted support. This country is not fair.”
In 2019, the Lagos division of the Federal High Court sentenced Kalu to 12 years in prison for N7.65 billion fraud.
Justice Mohammed Idris who delivered the sentence had earlier declared him guilty of the charge in the case that had been on since 2007.
However, the supreme Court in 2020 freed Kalu and ordered a fresh trial of the former governor and senator.
The Supreme Court held that the trial High Court Judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, acted without jurisdiction when he convicted Kalu, his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited and a former Director of Finance in Abia State, Jones Udeogu.
It noted that Justice Idris was no longer a judge of the Federal High Court as at December 5, 2019, when he sat and delivered the judgement that convicted the defendants for allegedly stealing about N7.1billion from Abia state treasury.
According to the Supreme Court, Justice Idris, having been elevated to the Court of Appeal before then, lacked the powers to return to sit as a High Court Judge.
It therefore ordered that the charge in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/26/2017, which EFCC entered against Kalu and his co-defendants, should be remitted back to Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for re-assignment to any other judge for the trial to commence de-novo (afresh).
But, in 2021, a Federal High Court stopped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from retrying Orji Kalu.
Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the order while delivering judgment in an application filed by the former governor seeking an order of the court prohibiting the EFCC from retrying him on a charge for which he had already been tried and convicted.
