April 29, 2008
Saharareporters, Abuja
Former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu was downcast today as the Federal High Court in Abuja turned down his application to retrieve his travel documents from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Since his arrest last year at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport for money laundering and corruption, the embattled former governor has tried in vain to retrieve his passport from the anti-corruption agency.
Kalu has not traveled out of Nigeria for close one year as a result. Last year in an attempt to travel out of Nigeria, he put up desperate application to an Abuja high court claiming that he needed to attend to a brain surgery of his estranged wife-Ifeoma Ada Kalu- at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital was foiled when Saharareporters exposed that Mr. Kalu had forged the letter supposedly sent to him by one Dr. Black at the Massachusetts based hospital. It turned out no surgery was scheduled for his wife as he claimed. The hospital also denied ever issuing a letter of invitation to Kalu and may have involved the police to investigate the issue of forgery involved in the case.
Kalu is standing trial for laundering N3.1 billion belonging to Abia state. The case has been adjourned till May 22nd 2008 to enable Kalu file a fresh application for the retrieval of his travel documents, sources in Abuja told Saharareporters that Kalu may be granted his prayers at that date due to intervention from the attorney general’s office.
Former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu was downcast today as the Federal High Court in Abuja turned down his application to retrieve his travel documents from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Since his arrest last year at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport for money laundering and corruption, the embattled former governor has tried in vain to retrieve his passport from the anti-corruption agency.
Kalu has not traveled out of Nigeria for close one year as a result. Last year in an attempt to travel out of Nigeria, he put up desperate application to an Abuja high court claiming that he needed to attend to a brain surgery of his estranged wife-Ifeoma Ada Kalu- at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital was foiled when Saharareporters exposed that Mr. Kalu had forged the letter supposedly sent to him by one Dr. Black at the Massachusetts based hospital. It turned out no surgery was scheduled for his wife as he claimed. The hospital also denied ever issuing a letter of invitation to Kalu and may have involved the police to investigate the issue of forgery involved in the case.
Kalu is standing trial for laundering N3.1 billion belonging to Abia state. The case has been adjourned till May 22nd 2008 to enable Kalu file a fresh application for the retrieval of his travel documents, sources in Abuja told Saharareporters that Kalu may be granted his prayers at that date due to intervention from the attorney general’s office.
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