Kalu’s trial continues today
The ongoing trial of former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, charged with fraud before a Federal High Court in Lagos has been fixed for today, just as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday called its sixth witness.
EFCC had on October 31, 2016, preferred 34-count charge bordering on N3.2 billion fraud against Kalu and his former Commissioner for Finance Ude Udeogo.
Also charged is a company, Slok Nig. Ltd. The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the charge, the accused were alleged to have committed the offence between August 2001 and October 2005.
Kalu was alleged to have utilised his company to retain in the account of a First Inland bank, now FCMB, the sum of N200 million.
The sum is alleged to have formed part of funds illegally derived from the coffers of the Abia State Government.
Cumulatively, in all the counts, the accused were alleged to have diverted over N3.2 billion from the Abia State government’s treasury during Kalu’s tenure as governor.
When trial resumed yesterday, the prosecutor, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) called on the sixth prosecution witness, Mr Buraimoh Yakubu, an Internal Control Officer with Guaranty Trust Bank, who told the court that the EFCC wrote a letter to his bank requesting for account opening documents of the third accused, Slok.