Nigeria’s apex court, the Supreme Court, has nullified the 12-year jail sentence handed down to former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu, late last year.
In the judgment of a panel of seven justices led by Amina Augie, the court held that conviction of Kalu was void as the trial judge, Mohammed Liman, lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.
Kalu, who is the Senator representing Abia North at the National Assembly, was convicted and jailed 12 years for money laundering by a federal high court in Lagos. His conviction was upheld by the Appeal Court.
But the Supreme Court nullified his conviction on Friday and ordered a retrial of the accused and his co-defendants.
It said Liman, who heard the case, was elevated to the appeal court at the time of the matter and was no longer a judge of the Federal High Court, and as such lacked the authority to preside over the trial.
In December, 2019, the judge sentenced Kalu to 12 years in prison for money laundering to the tune of N7.1 billion.
The judge also ordered that Kalu’s company, Slok Nigeria Limited, be liquidated and its assets forfeited to the federal government.
