THE FG’S APPEAL AGAINST THE ORDER STOPPING ORJI KALU AND THE SLOK MONEY LAUNDERING RETRIAL IS DISMISSED BY THE COURT.

Babatunji Wusu –

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal that the Federal Government filed challenging the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which forbade the reopening of the trial of former Abia Governor Orji Kalu and his company, Slok Nigeria Ltd., on allegations of money laundering.

that a three-person appellate court panel ruled twice that the Federal Government’s appeals were defective.

Kalu and Slok’s objection was upheld by Justice Joseph Oyewole, who wrote and read the lead opinions in both appeals.

The Court of Appeal’s Rules and Section 104 of the Evidence Act were not followed in the proper compilation and certification of the appeal records in both cases, the court found.

The court also stressed that it could not overlook the failure to comply with the Evidence Act’s required clause, even in the event that the court’s order was broken.

The trial court official who certified the documents omitted to specify their designation, as mandated by the Evidence Act, the court noted.

Oluwaleke Atolagbe, an attorney for the federal government, claims that the court’s ruling implies the appellant would file additional appeals, enabling the appellate court to evaluate the case’s merits.

These appeals were submitted in opposition to the ruling rendered by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on September 29, 2021, which forbade the Federal Government from pursuing Kalu and Slok’s case any further.

This ruling was predicated on an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court, which ruled that the procedures leading to their prior trial and conviction were invalid.