Orji Kalu: Nigeria's senate chief whip heads to jail!
December 6, 2019 By Abiodun Kareem Giwa

Nigeria's senate chief whip, publisher of Nigeria's "The Sun" newspaper and former governor of Abia State, has been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment.
Kalu's imprisonment order was handed down in a judgement by Justice Idris Muhammed of the Federal High Court in Lagos, for the misappropriation of N6.7 billion, during Kalu's governorship of Abia State.
Kalu will also to forfeit Sloks Nigeria Limited, his assets and properties, according to the Punch newspaper. Convicted along with Kalu is Jones Odogwu who was director of finance in the Abia State administration under Kalu. Odogwu would go to jail for 10 years.
Kalu's corruption trial began in 2007, after he completed his governorship term and was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, then under President Olusegun Obasanjo. Kalu successfully used appeals against court judgments to postpone court punishment. In 2016, the Supreme Court ordered Kalu to stand trial. The journey after the Supreme Court's decision led to the High Court and the judgment for kalu to spend 12 years in the slammer.
Already, there is a call for Kalu to resign as senate chief whip from the Nigeria's coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, according to a report by the daily Post. CUPP said that the conviction of the former Abia State governor and senator representing Abia North has made him ineligible to function as senate chief whip.
However, Kalu's lawyer, said “This is just a temporal distraction from his (Kalu’s) legislative duty, we are challenging it. We are sure of victory just like the Tribunal case. The ruling cannot stand."
Kalu's imprisonment order was handed down in a judgement by Justice Idris Muhammed of the Federal High Court in Lagos, for the misappropriation of N6.7 billion, during Kalu's governorship of Abia State.
Kalu will also to forfeit Sloks Nigeria Limited, his assets and properties, according to the Punch newspaper. Convicted along with Kalu is Jones Odogwu who was director of finance in the Abia State administration under Kalu. Odogwu would go to jail for 10 years.
Kalu's corruption trial began in 2007, after he completed his governorship term and was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, then under President Olusegun Obasanjo. Kalu successfully used appeals against court judgments to postpone court punishment. In 2016, the Supreme Court ordered Kalu to stand trial. The journey after the Supreme Court's decision led to the High Court and the judgment for kalu to spend 12 years in the slammer.
Already, there is a call for Kalu to resign as senate chief whip from the Nigeria's coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, according to a report by the daily Post. CUPP said that the conviction of the former Abia State governor and senator representing Abia North has made him ineligible to function as senate chief whip.
However, Kalu's lawyer, said “This is just a temporal distraction from his (Kalu’s) legislative duty, we are challenging it. We are sure of victory just like the Tribunal case. The ruling cannot stand."