The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday arraigned former Abia State Governor, Senator Theodore Orji; his son and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, over alleged conspiracy and misappropriation of public funds amounting to billions of Naira.
Also arraigned were a former Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Philip Nto; a former Director of Finance, Government House, Mr. Romanus Madu; and a contractor, King Obioma.
Court Proceedings
The case, filed under charge number HU/69c/2024 on October 8, 2024, was brought before Court 1 of the Abia State High Court.
A team of 11 EFCC lawyers, led by Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, and Rotimi Oyedepo, presented the charges before the court.
When the Chief Judge of Abia State, Honourable Justice Lilian Abai, read the 16 counts of charges against the defendants, they all pleaded not guilty.
Allegations Against the Defendants
The EFCC accused the defendants of misappropriating N22.5 billion allocated as security votes to Abia State from 2011 to 2015.
They were also charged with diverting N2 billion meant for Small and Medium Enterprises from Central Bank of Nigeria funds allocated to the state.
Additionally, the commission alleged that they stole N12 billion from the Paris Club Refund due to Abia State, and another N13 billion from a loan facility granted by the former Diamond Bank Plc to the state government.
Bail Granted, Case Adjourned
Justice Abai granted bail to all the defendants in the sum of N50 million each. The case was adjourned to June 18 and 19 for the EFCC to present its evidence against the accused persons.
Defence Reacts
Speaking to Vanguard after the court session, one of the defence lawyers, Daniel Anya, dismissed the charges as “very bogus.”
He commended the court for granting bail to the defendants, describing them as “respected citizens and elder statesmen.”
“The defendants deserved to be granted bail because our extant laws provide that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction,” Anya stated.
He further asserted that the burden of proof lay with the EFCC, adding, “He that alleges must prove.”
