Ex
Gov. Uzor Kalu In N179M Property Tax Mess In US
Despite his
wealth, Kalu has repeatedly failed to meet his tax obligations on these
properties, raising new questions about Nigerian politicians’ hidden assets
abroad.
A fresh investigation has revealed that Orji
Uzor Kalu, a former governor of Abia State and now a senator in Nigeria’s
National Assembly, owes $118,282 (N179 million) in unpaid property taxes in the
United States.
Documents
obtained by The Post and Courier’s Uncovered Project and the Platform to
Protect Whistleblowers in Africa show that Kalu’s real estate empire in the
U.S. includes multiple properties in South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland,
and Texas, valued in the millions of dollars.
Despite his wealth,
Kalu has repeatedly failed to meet his tax obligations on these properties,
raising new questions about Nigerian politicians’ hidden assets abroad.
According to
U.S. tax records, Kalu is linked to at least five properties in South Carolina,
valued at over $2 million.
His real
estate holdings in the Charlotte metro area alone exceed $4.7 million. He also
owns two high-end properties near Washington, D.C., including an opulent home
with eight bathrooms and a tennis court, which is currently listed for $2.5
million.
But despite
these assets, Kalu has been unable or unwilling to pay his property taxes.
Records from Spartanburg County, South Carolina, show that after missing
multiple deadlines this year, his outstanding balance has ballooned to $118,282.52,
including fees for the county’s demolition of an abandoned warehouse on one of
his properties.
Kalu’s U.S.
real estate ventures date back to the early 1990s, even before he became a
state governor in Nigeria. In 1993, while serving as a member of Nigeria’s
House of Representatives, Kalu acquired a four-acre tract of land in
Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
Today, that
land is an eyesore. What was once a commercial property with multiple
warehouses and homes has now been reduced to red clay dirt, overgrown trees,
and a single trash can. Neighbors recall that at one time, several warehouses
stood on the site, but one was burned down while another remains abandoned.
A man who
identified himself as Nnanna Utah, a former schoolmate of Kalu’s from Nigeria,
told The Post and Courier that he had been using the warehouse for years.
“He can buy anything
anywhere in the world he wants to,” Utah said. “He likes South Carolina because he was
doing business here even before he made a dime.”
However,
local businessman Phil Terry, who owns a nearby junkyard, recounted how Kalu
almost lost the property. In 2016, Terry and his business partner, Ned
Blackwell, purchased the land at a tax auction after Kalu failed to pay his
taxes.
They paid
$12,342 to clear the outstanding tax bill. But before the one-year grace period
expired, a broker acting on Kalu’s behalf paid off the taxes, and the property
was returned to him.
Despite this
close call, Kalu once again fell behind on his taxes. The latest bill,
amounting to $118,282, remains unpaid.
Records show
that Kalu’s tax notices are sent to an address in Fort Mill, South Carolina,
which was purchased in 2005 by Eunice Uzor. Kalu’s mother is also named Eunice
Uzor Kalu, and his brother, Mascot Uzor Kalu, is listed on the title. Mascot, a
well-known figure in Nigerian politics, has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Further
investigations reveal that Kalu has used shell companies such as SLOK LLC to
buy and sell real estate in the U.S. Some of these properties have been the
subject of lawsuits over unpaid homeowners’ association fees.
Between 2007
and 2008—around the same time Nigerian authorities charged him with
corruption—Kalu acquired at least nine properties across South Carolina, North
Carolina, and Maryland. These included 67 acres of land in Chester and York
counties, near Charlotte, North Carolina. A recent inspection of the site
revealed that it remains undeveloped and littered with trash.
In Fort Mill,
the upscale brick home purchased by Kalu’s mother in 2005 is now listed for
sale. Reporters who visited the location observed moving containers and stacked
boxes, suggesting recent activity.
Altogether,
records indicate that Kalu and his family members have bought and sold over 40
properties in the U.S., raising further questions about the source of his
wealth and why he continues to default on his tax obligations.
Despite his
claims of being a successful businessman before entering politics, Kalu has
long been trailed by corruption allegations. In 2007, Nigerian prosecutors
accused him of looting billions of naira from Abia State’s coffers while
serving as governor.
After years
of legal battles, he was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to 12 years in prison
for fraud. But in a controversial decision five months later, Nigeria’s Supreme
Court overturned his conviction on technical grounds, setting him free.
Prosecutors
vowed to retry the case, but a higher court rejected their request last year,
leaving the case in limbo.
Kalu has
consistently denied any wrongdoing. However, his lavish lifestyle, political
influence, and extensive foreign assets have fueled speculation about how he
amassed such immense wealth.
The Post and
Courier said repeated attempts to reach Kalu for comments were unsuccessful, as
neither he nor his media assistant responded to inquiries.
Kalu is not
the only Nigerian politician with significant U.S. real estate holdings.
Investigations
show that former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, paid nearly $1
million to purchase a horse farm in Aiken, South Carolina, in 2002, while he
was in charge of Nigeria’s government mint.
These
revelations have reignited debates about how Nigerian politicians funnel money
out of the country and into foreign properties.
The U.S.
government has been attempting to crack down on such practices. In 2021,
Congress passed the Corporate Transparency Act, aimed at curbing money
laundering, terrorism financing, and tax evasion through anonymous real estate
purchases.
However, the
law has faced resistance. On March 2, the Trump administration announced that
it would not enforce it, citing concerns about regulatory burdens on
businesses.
Transparency
advocates argue that weakening anti-corruption laws will make it easier for
corrupt politicians and criminals to launder money through the U.S. real estate
market.
Former FBI
agent Debra LaPrevotte, who helped launch the agency’s Kleptocracy Initiative,
warned that failing to regulate anonymous real estate transactions will have
dire consequences.
“We’re supposed to lift
people up to our level, not go down to theirs,” she said, referring to how the U.S.
has become a haven for foreign kleptocrats.
She pointed
out that Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha looted billions of dollars from Nigeria
in the 1990s, much of which was hidden in foreign assets before being seized by
international authorities.
Experts also
argue that allowing corrupt politicians to launder money through real estate
distorts local housing markets, pricing out average citizens while allowing
criminals to operate with impunity.
“The U.S. is one of the
easiest places to hide dirty money in the world,” said Scott Kalman of Transparency
International U.S.
