JULY 19, 2018 – The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) has urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to carry out a speedy prosecution of former Governor of Abia State, Mr. Orji Uzor Kalu, over an alleged fraud of N7.65b.
In a press release issued by the Centre on Wednesday, CACOL’s Executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran stated that: “Orji Kalu’s trial has lasted for 11 long years. He was Governor of Abia State between 1999 and 2007. He was arraigned over corruption charges shortly after he left office. It is strange that instead of concluding the case against Kalu all these years, the charges against him have just been amended.
“This notwithstanding, CACOL commends the current leadership of EFCC for its holistic investigation into this case which has seen many witnesses called upon to testify. With all these unearthing of corruption in high places almost on a weekly basis, one would actually agree that corruption was about to kill Nigeria if nothing tangible was done about it”.
“We therefore call for an accelerated prosecution of this case that should either lead to conviction and recovery of the looted funds or acquittal of the alleged culprit if he is not found guilty of the charges leveled against him. While his acquittal if found innocent would encourage others to submit themselves for fair trial, his conviction would serve as a deterrent to intending looters.’
