A FEDERAL High Court, Abuja yesterday acceded to the application filed by former Governor of Abia State Orji Uzor Kalu, to stop his trial and two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

Kalu is on trial for allegedly stealing funds belonging to the state government.

Justice Adamu Bello granted the application brought by the accused persons and adjourned further hearing on the matter to January 28, 2010 when the Court of Appeal is expected to deliver its verdict on Kalu's interlocutory appeal.

The court had on May 8 dismissed an application brought by Kalu seeking to quash the 107-count charge of money-laundering preferred against him by EFCC. Two other accused persons standing trial with Kalu are Ude Jones Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited. They all lost their bid to quash the charge preferred against them.

Also yesterday, former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye, failed in his attempt to retrieve his passport from the EFCC.

An Abuja High Court headed by Justice Abimbola Banjoko, turned down his request.

Dariye had approached the court to compel the EFCC to release his travelling passport, which was seized on account of an alleged monumental fraud, which he perpetrated as the governor of the state.

He is facing multiple count charge of stealing, misappropriation of state funds and criminal breach of trust involving several millions of naira.

Since his arraignment in 2008, Dariye has lost every attempt to stop his prosecution.

In a statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi, the trial judge had sometime in 2008 turned down his request to stop his trial.

Even though the former Plateau helmsman had filed an application at the Appeal Court seeking to upturn the lower court's decision, he was said to have approached the lower court to compel the EFCC to release the documents.

However, in objecting to Dariye's request, EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, told the court that he had already submitted a 20-paragraph affidavit detailing why the passport must remain confiscated.

Justice Banjoko, in her ruling, said since Dariye had gone on appeal, asking for interlocutory appeal on the issue of jurisdiction, she would have nothing to do with the release or otherwise of the travelling documents.