Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia state to spend Christmas will prison as a federal high court in Lagos has dismissed the bail application he filed.
Kalu, the senator representing Abia north, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on December 5, 2019, over money laundering, however, he had approached the court seeking bail on grounds of ill health.
Kalu, in the bail application filed on December 17, said he is battling “serious health issues that the medical facilities in the prison cannot handle, ” and that he wouldn’t be able to serve the interest of his constituents in prison.
The bail application was opposed by Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), saying a convict does not have the right to bail.
Mohammed Liman, the presiding judge, in his Monday ruling held that the application lacked merit. The judge then ordered Kalu to remain in prison until his appeal challenging his conviction is heard.
