By Fidel Ozugha
Former governor of Abia State and now a senator, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Theodore Orji and his son who was the speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedu Orji have been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They were arraigned for alleged conspiracy and misappropriation of huge public funds. Others named together with them for the alleged embezzlement of the public funds that ran into billions of Naira were a former Commissioner for Finance, Dr Philp Nto; a former Director of Finance, Government House, Mr Romanus Madu; and a contractor in the State, King Obioma.
When the charge sheet marked HU/69c/2024 filed on October 8, 2024 came up for hearing at the Court 1 of the Abia State High Court, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN; and Rotimi Oyedopo, led EFCC team of 11 lawyers for the case.
When the trial Judge and Chief Judge of Abia State, Honourable Justice Lilian Abai, read the 16 counts of charge against the defendants, all the suspects arraigned pleaded not guilty.
The counts of charge included alleged misappropriation of “N22.5 billion allocated as security votes to Abia State from 2011 to 2015”; as well as another “N2 billion being proceeds of the Central Bank of Nigeria Funds for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) allocated to Abia State”.
They were equally accused of “stealing N12 billion being the funds due to Abia State from the Paris Club Refund”; as well as “stealing N13 billion being the proceeds of the loan facility granted by the then Diamond Bank Plc to the Abia State Government”.
Before adjourning the case to June 18 and 19 for EFCC to open its case against the defendants, the trial Judge had granted bail to all the defendants in the sum of N50 million.
