•••FMR Gov To Remain In Prison Until After APC Primaries On May 30
Justice Inyang Ekwo, of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, has turned down the request of detained Presidential Aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Rochas Okorocha for bail.
The Presiding Justice Ekwo instead ordered Okorocha to notify the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission through his lawyers, Ola Olanikpekun.
Olanipekun had prayed the court in an ex parte motion with number FHC/ABJ/CR/28/2022, to grant bail to the former Imo Governor on liberal conditions pending the determination of the substantive motion on motive.
In his ruling Ekwo said that the request for bail was not necessary in view of the fact that the matter will be coming up for hearing on Monday.
The judge had, threatened to strike out the suit against Okorocha on the last adjourned date, and gave the commission till May 30 to produce him after he failed to appear in two adjournments.
The judge’s order compelled the EFCC to arrest the Senator after hours of laying siege on his Maitama residence on May 24.
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, had said “operatives of the EFCC on May 24, 2022, arrived at the Maitama, Abuja home of a former governor of Imo state, Senator Rochas Okorocha, to effect his arrest.
“The move followed the refusal of the former governor to honour invitations after jumping the administrative bail earlier granted him by the Commission.
EFCC had on January 24, 2022 filed a 17-count criminal charge bordering on diversion of public funds and properties to the tune of N2.9billion against Okorocha.”
Operatives of the EFCC besieged Okorocha’s residence on Wednesday following his refusal to honour the EFCC’s invitation after he was accused of jumping the administrative bail earlier granted to him.
Okorocha was whisked away after some hours and remanded in EFCC’s custody.
The APC presidential aspirant is standing trial alongside others on allegations bordering on money laundering while he served as governor of Imo.
Okorocha, in the charges filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, was accused of conspiring with others, including a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and five companies to steal from the public coffers.
Others listed as respondents to in suit are Anyim Nyerere Chinenye, Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Consolid Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited.
Okorocha who represents Imo West Senatorial Zone in the Senate, is among 25 Presidential aspirants seeking the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress.