Alleged Fraud: Kalu Appeal Ruling on No-case Submission

A former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, has filed an appeal challenging the ruling of the Federal High Court in which last Tuesday which said he had a case to answer on the allegation of fraud preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Mohammed Idris had last Tuesday held that Kalu has some explanations to make particularly on certain documents tendered by the EFCC as exhibits in evidence against him.

The judge said: “I am of the view that the defendants have some explanations to make in the light of the exhibits and the evidence so far led. Again, I will say no more. The no-case submission is dismissed.”

In the notice of appeal, filed on his behalf by his counsel, Chief Awa .U. Kalu, dated August 1, Kalu insists that all the evidences supplied by the prosecution witnesses had no “nexus,” with him, and as such there was no way a prima facie case against him would have been established.

The former governor also contended that it would amount to “miscarriage of justice,” to compel him to defend a matter in which no “prima facie” case has been established against him.

Kalu’s appeal is based on two grounds. On ground one, the former governor is insisting that the court erred in law when it held that he has a case to answer “notwithstanding the fact that the evidence adduced by the prosecution witnesses had no nexus with the appellant (Kalu) and did not make out a prima facie case against the appellant.”

He also listed six particulars of the error as follows: “None of the prosecution witnesses gave any evidence linking the appellant with any of the charges. There was no evidence that the 2nd and 3rd respondents acted at the behest of the appellant and or on his behalf. No fund whatsoever was traced to the personal bank accounts of the appellant nor was the appellant shown to have personally benefitted himself from the said funds alleged to have been stolen or laundered.

“No financial document was shown to have been made or any financial transaction shown to have been performed or transacted by the appellant in relation to the funds the subject matter of the charge. The prosecution had not made out a case against the appellant. There was nothing for the appellant to defend and no justification for the appellant to be put through the rigors of a full trial.”