Absence of prosecution witness stalls Orji Kalu’s trial

FOLLOWING the inability of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to produce the witness billed to testify in the trial of Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu Justice Mohammed Idris of a Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday adjourned further hearing in the corruption and fraud charge.

EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) had sought for an adjournment of the matter following the conclusion of the cross-examination of the second prosecution witness, Christiana Ohiri, by the defence.

He told the court that all his efforts to ensure that another witness was brought to court could not sail through.

“My lord, I will asking for an adjournment of this matter till tomorrow. I have no other witness to call at the moment.

“Besides, I was thinking the defence will spend more time cross-examining the second prosecution witness. The defence had even threatened me at a point in the course of proceedings that the witness will spend weeks inside the witness box.

“So, I will be pleading with my lord for an adjournment. This is the first time we will be seeking for an adjournment in this matter”, Jacobs said.

However, the defence was opposed to the request for an adjournment.

In his submissions, Kalu’s lawyer, Goddy Uche (SAN) expressed his displeasure at the inability of the prosecution to produce its third witness in the matter.

“My lord, with due respect to my brother silk, I am opposed to the request for adjournment. My client flew in from abroad because of this matter. In the alternative, I want to suggest that the matter be stood down for about one hour to allow the prosecution produce its witnesses”, he said.

Other defence lawyers, Solo Akuma (SAN) and KC Nwofo (SAN) also expressed their objections to the request for adjournment.

After listening to the arguments of parties in the matter, Justice Idris adjourned further hearing in the matter till Wednesday.

According to the charge, the defendants committed the offence between August 2001 and October 2005.

Specifically, the former governor was accused of using his company to retain in the account of a First Inland Bank, now FCMB the sum of N200 million.

The said amount was alleged to have formed part of funds illegally derived from the coffers of the Abia state government when he held sway.

The former Governor’s company, Slok Nigeria Limited alongside one Emeka Abone who the EFCC said is now at large was alleged to have retained in the company’s account N200 million on behalf of the first accused.

They were alleged to have utilised Manny Bank, Spring Bank Plc, the defunct Standard Trust Bank and Finland Bank, now First City Monument Bank (FCMB) to carry out the alleged crime.

The defendants were equally alleged to have retained about N2.5 billion in different accounts which funds were said to belong to the Abia State Government.

In totality, the defendants were alleged to have diverted over N3.2 billion from the Abia state government’s treasury when Kalu held sway as governor.

The offence according to the EFCC offends the provisions of sections 15(6), 16, and 21 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2005.