Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Friday threw out the judgment against former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor-Kalu, which led him to 12 years imprisonment.
The apex court, in a unanimous decision by a seven-man panel of justices led by Justice Amina Augie, held that the Federal High Court in Lagos acted without jurisdiction when it convicted Kalu, his firm, Slok Nigeria Limited, and former Director of Finance in Abia State, Jones Udeogu.
The court held that trial judge, Justice Mohammed Liman, was no longer a judge of the Federal High Court as at the time he sat and delivered the judgment that convicted the defendants for allegedly stealing about N7.1bn from Abia State treasury.
According to the Supreme Court, Justice Liman, having been elevated to the Court of Appeal before then, lacked the powers to return to sit as a High Court judge.
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