EFCC re-arraigns former Abia state governor, Orji Uzor-Kalu over corruption charges

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned a former governor of Abia state Orji Uzor-Kalu. The former governor was re-arraigned at a Federal High Court in Lagos, Punch reports.

It is still unclear what charges the commission have against the former governor. However, Uzor-Kalu was formerly arraigned by the anti-graft agency before Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court in Abuja in 2007.

But the matter was transferred to Justice Anuli Chikere of the same court after Justice Bello’s retirement. The former governor was arraigned on a 117-count charge which was later amended to 37 by the anti-graft agency.

The charges bordering on corrupt diversion N3.2 billion from the coffers of Abia state government’s treasury was said to have been committed during Uzor-Kalu’s tenure as the governor of the state. During one of the sittings before Justice Chikere, the EFCC prosecutor Rotimi Jacobs accused Uzor-Kalu of delaying the criminal trial against him.