The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that it will appeal an Abuja Federal High Court ruling barring it from retrying the former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu.
Naija News recalls that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had given the judgement on Wednesday.
The presiding judge asked the EFCC to stop the planned retrial of Kalu based on the N7.1billion money laundering charge earlier preferred against him.
Justice Ekwo held that the Supreme Court did not in the verdict it gave on May 8, 2020, order the retrial of either Kalu or his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited.
The presiding judge ruled that the apex court only ordered the retrial of former Director of Finance in Abia State, Jones Udeogu.
Reacting on Wednesday in a statement by its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC said: “EFCC believes the judge erred in this ruling as Section 36(9) of the 1999 constitution is applicable only where the previous judgment was by a court of competent jurisdiction.
”In this case, the apex court had in the said judgment described the process that led to the conviction of Kalu as a nullity because the Judge came from the Court of Appeal to decide the matter.
“The Commission further avers that the court erred in its ruling that the Supreme Court did not order the retrial of Kalu; that it amounts to cherry-picking for Kalu to profit from the decision of the Apex court nullifying the conviction of his co defendant, Ude Udeagu but is not prepared to face the burden of retrial.”
This article was originally published on Naija News