Former governor of Abia State and current Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu will continue to receive his salaries and all other entitlements while in prison, the Senate has said.
This is despite that he will not be performing any legislative function from prison.
The spokesperson of the Senate, Godiya Akwashiki, disclosed on Sunday.
He said despite the conviction, Mr Kalu remains a sitting senator and will be paid all of his entitlements in full.
He said until the case gets to Supreme Court and a final judgement is given, Mr Kalu remains a serving lawmaker, he explained.
Earlier, Mr Akwashiki said Mr Kalu’s seat will not be declared vacant.
He explained that no provision in the constitution that says the seat of any senator facing prosecution or convicted at a lower court should be declared vacant.
Mr Kalu’s seat will not be declared vacant except he (Mr Kalu) has explored all the legal options available to him without success, he said.
“Even the tenure of a former governor Joshua Dariye, who has been in prison for some time now, ran its course until the end of the 8th National Assembly. Nobody declared his seat vacant.”
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced Mr Kalu to 12 years in prison after convicting him of N7.65 billion fraud.
Mr Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, was pronounced guilty of the charge in a trial that lasted for 12 years.
WATCH VIDEO: Afro King, VIDEO: Fela Anikulapo Kuti Talks About Those Who Stood By The Truth – SOWORE IN MIND!
The conviction comes 12 years after the ex-governor was first arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2007 and was tried alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, who was Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House during Mr Kalu’s tenure as governor.
Leave a Reply