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Former Abia Governor Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has been released from Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja where he was serving a 12-year sentence following an order to that effect by the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Justice Mohammad Liman of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the release of Kalu on Tuesday following his conviction last December for alleged looting of N7.65b belonging to Abia.
He was released around 7:30pm.
The court also ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to immediately put machinery in motion for the retrial of the former governor.
The court further ordered that his trial should start afresh along side the former Director of Finance in Abia State Government House, Ude Jones Udeogu in line with the judgement of the Supreme Court that declared Udeogu’s trial, conviction and sentence a nullity.
Orji is serving a 12-year jail term at the Correctional Service Centre in Kuje, Abuja for looting N7.65 billion belonging to the Abia State Government.
The former Governor now a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria hired a 12-man team of lawyers, to file application for his release.
The application pending before Justice Mohammed Liman was filed on May 12 asking the court to nullify his conviction sentence and release him.
Justice Mohammed Idris who was elevated to Court of Appeal, on December 5, 2019, convicted Kalu and a former Director of Finance in the Abia State Government House, Ude Jones Udeogu of the offence of fraud.
