Kalu’s ₦7.1 Billion Fraud Case: Court Rules Against Ex-Governor’s Attempt To Halt FG’s Appeal

Published March 21, 2025 at 3:06 PM

Former Abia State Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, on Friday, suffered a setback in his legal battle as the Court of Appeal rejected his attempt to prevent the Federal Government from appealing a 2021 court decision that halted his prosecution over an alleged ₦7.1 billion money laundering case.

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal dismissed objections raised by Kalu and his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, against the Federal Government’s request—filed through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)—for permission to appeal outside the standard time frame. Kalu and Slok had argued that the Court of Appeal had already struck out a previous appeal by the Federal Government on March 6, 2024, and thus had no further jurisdiction over the matter.

However, Justice Ishaq Sanni, who delivered the ruling, clarified that the March 6 decision was not based on the case’s merit, but was dismissed due to technical issues concerning the certification of court records. Justice Sanni ruled that, since the judgment was rendered after the three-month window for an appeal had passed, the Federal Government was entitled to request an extension of time.

As a result, the court granted the Federal Government’s request, allowing it to file a notice of appeal against the September 29, 2021 judgment of the Federal High Court. The court also directed the government to submit the notice of appeal within 14 days.

This ruling applies to two cases: CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/430MI/2024 (FRN v. Orji Uzor Kalu & two others) and CA/ABJ/PRE/ROA/CV/431MI/2024 (FRN v. Slok Nigeria Limited & two others).