A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the release of former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu from the Kuje correctional centre.
Justice Mohammed Liman issued the order after hearing an application argued by the former governor replying on the Supreme Court judgement in an appeal by his co-convict Jones Udeogu.
In the appeal, the Supreme Court had described the trial and conviction of the appellant as null and void on the grounds that the judge who gave the decision had been elevated to the court of appeal and as such lacked the constitutional jurisdiction to hear any pending case before a lower court.
Despite the judgement, Kalu was not released on the basis that he was not the appellant in the appeal that was decided by the apex court.
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He had subsequently approached a Federal High Court in Lagos, invoking the decision of the apex court and arguing that he ought to be released Justice Liman on Tuesday granted his prayers.
Kalu was convicted in December 2019 for laundering seven point five billion naira state funds while serving as governor of Abia state through his company slok Nigeria limited between 1999 and 2007.
Editor: Tunde Orebiyi.
