Conviction Was Bail Over Failing Health

The former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, on Tuesday, asked a federal high court in Lagos to grant him bail on grounds of ill health.

Orji Uzor Kalu had filed an application for bail pending the hearing of an appeal suit challenging his conviction.

The former governor said he is battling serious health challenges that cannot be handled in the prison. But EFCC, which prosecuted Kalu on the corruption charges, opposed the application.

The anti-graft agency argued that bail is for accused persons on the presumption of being innocent, but since the former Governor has been convicted, he can no longer enjoy such privilege.

The presiding judge, Mohammed Liman, adjourned till 23rd, December 2019 for ruling on the bail application. Kalu was sentenced to 12 years in jail over N7.16 billion fraud by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on December 5.