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| Former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha [Photo credit: BBC] |
On November 22, the Federal High Court in Abuja is set to hear Rochas Okorocha's preliminary objection, in which he requests an order tossing the N2.9 billion accusation brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The case was postponed by Justice Inyang Ekwo so that EFCC's attorney, G.K. To answer to Ola Olanipekun's initial objection, which was made on behalf of the former governor of Imo State, Latona.
The judge issued an order requiring the parties to file and serve all required documents prior to the scheduled date since the application would be heard at the following adjourned date.
Mr Okorocha, in the application, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/28/22 dated and filed on October 28, had prayed for an order quashing the charge and/or all counts of the charge preferred against him as a result of the investigation by the EFCC into his activities while governor between 2011 and 2019.
Mr Okorocha, who currently represents Imo West Senatorial District, described the suit as being “unlawful, baseless, oppressive and a gross abuse of the process of the court.”
He also sought “an order discharging and/or acquitting the 1st defendant/applicant (Okorocha), pursuant to prayer (1) supra.”
Giving six reasons why the suit should be dismissed, the politician said he was arraigned by the anti-graft agency on May 30 on a 17-count charge.
He said that the investigation “on which the said charge was predicated, was the subject matter of suit number: FCH/PH/FHR/165/2021 wherein this Hon. Court, Coram Pam, J. had, in the final judgement at the suit of the applicant, declared unlawful and made an order prohibiting the EFCC from further proceeding.”
He, therefore, said that the present charge “is an abuse of prosecutorial powers and judicial process, as the said declaratory and prohibitory orders were and are still extant, at all times material, before and after the preferment of the charge,” among others.
The EFCC said it received an intelligence report about criminal diversion, abuse of office and money laundering against Okorocha while running the affairs of Imo State government.
The commission said that the intelligence was investigated and confirmed to be true.
Mr Okorocha, who is the 1st defendant, was arraigned alongside Anyim Nyerere Chinenye, Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Consolid Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited as 2nd to 7th defendants respectively.
He was alleged to have laundered funds to the tune of N2.9 billion while serving as governor of Imo.
Justice Ekwo, on May 31, admitted Mr Okorocha to bail in the sum of N500 million with one surety in like sum and granted his co-defendant, Chinenye, bail in the terms of the administrative bail earlier granted to him by the EFCC.
(NAN)