Alleged corruption: EFCC insists on investigating Orji Kalu despite defection to APC
- The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has said that Orji Kalu's defection from PDP to APC will not save him from the corruption charges against him
- Kalu was charged with a N3.2b fraud allegation
- He was said to have embezzled the fund while in office as governor
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has maintained that the fact that Orji Kalu, a former governor of Abia state, changed his political party will not end the corruption allegations levied against him.
Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC's spokesperson, said this on Tuesday, May 29, in an interview conducted by Channels Television.
READ ALSO: Sign ‘Not Too Young to Run’ bill, quit in 2019 - Arewa youths tell Buhari
Kalu was charged with fraud allegations running into billions of naira said to have been misappropriated while he served as governor.
Kingsley Ekwem, a legal practitioner, declined to testify as a prosecution witness in the trial of the former governor and two others over an alleged N3.2billion fraud.
Kalu has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while members of the opposition party have continued to accuse the APC government of a one-sided anti-corruption war.
However, Uwujaren, maintained that the alleged corruption case against the former governor is ongoing, stressing that joining the APC has no bearing on the case.
He said: “Yes, Orji Kalu has left the PDP to APC; but that does not mean that his case under prosecution has stopped. I can recall that on May 11, the prosecution closed its case in that matter.
“That case is going on and I don’t see how political association can affect the matter that is being prosecuted in court. It has nothing to do with the corruption allegations against him.”
The EFCC spokesman further responded to the allegations of a one-sided anti-corruption fight and asked Nigerians to be wary of the credibility of such accusation.
He explained that the EFCC goes through a process before a case can be prosecuted and such is based on the strength of the evidence it has.
Uwujaren noted that those who are being prosecuted by the EFCC are used to crying foul, insisting that nobody is being prosecuted because he or she belongs to a particular political party.
He said: “If you are alleged to be corrupt, the question we should ask is ‘does the EFCC has the evidence to prosecute you?’ We should not be concerned about whether somebody is in APC or is in PDP.”
“The issue is ‘did you violate the law; did you commit an offence?’ if you commit an offence then the agency should have the liberty to take you to court.
"It will not be a matter of vindictiveness, it should be a matter that is based purely on evidence and that is what we are doing.”
He further disclosed that the EFCC has identified some cases which it believes it has enough evidence to prove in court and it has begun to prosecute them.
PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!
Uwujaren reiterated that belonging to a political party does not mean corrupt individuals are immune from prosecution, pointing out that the immunity applies to only the four categories of officials provided by the constitution.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that EFCC had once again arraigned a former governor of Abia, Orji Uzor Kalu together with two other people on a 34-count amended charge of fraud.
The former governor, his company Slok Nigeria Limited and his former commissioner for finance, Jones Udeogo, were re-arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday, September 27, with Justice Anwuri Chikere presiding.
Top 5 the Richest People of Nigeria: The Luxury of Corruption - On Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
