Accusation of fraud: Rochas Okorocha will find his fate Feb. 20, 2023

Sen. Rochas Okorocha, the former governor of Imo, filed an application, which a Federal High Court in Abuja deferred on Friday till a decision may be made on it on February 6, 2023.

After the parties’ attorneys adopted their procedures and stated their justifications for and against Okorocha’s preliminary objection, Justice Inyang Ekwo set the date.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Okorocha requested an order to have the charge and/or all counts of the charge against him dropped as a result of the EFCC’s investigation into his actions while serving as the governor of Imo between 2011 and 2019. The motion on notice was dated and filed on October 28 and was given the file number FHC/ABJ/CR/28/22.

The complaint, according to Okorocha, who is presently the senatorial representative for Imo West, is “unlawful, unjustified, oppressive, and a blatant misuse of the process of the court.”

The inquiry, he said, “was the subject of suit number: FCH/PH/FHR/165/2021 whereby this Hon. Court, Coram Pam, J. had, in the final judgment at the request of the applicant. ruled illegal and imposed an injunction barring the EFCC from further continuing.”

Although Okorocha’s motion was dated October 28, the EFCC claimed in its counter affidavit dated November 18 that it had reviewed it and found that “the depositions therein are outrageously deceptive and inaccurate,” notably paragraphs 3 and 4.

The anti-corruption organization asked the court to reject the motion because it was unfounded.

Ola Olanipekun SAN, the attorney for Okorochas, asked the court to approve the request and toss out the 17-count indictment brought against his client at the case’s resumed hearing.

Olanipekun’s argument was incorrect, and the EFCC’s attorney, K. N. Ugwu, requested that the court deny the application entirely.

Console Projects Consulting Ltd. (5th defendant), which was also represented by Darlington Ozurumba, approved his move on notice to have the accusation against the business dismissed.

He urged the court to reject the entire case because it was a misuse of the legal system.

Ugwu argued against the application, pleading with the court to reject his claim, that the fifth defendant could not profit from a judgment that it was not a party to.

According to NAN, Justice Ekwo set today for the hearing of the lawmaker’s preliminary objection, which was submitted on Wednesday.

The first defendant, Okorocha, was arraigned with the second through seventh defendants, Anyim Nyerere Chinenye, Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Console Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited.

According to NAN, Justice Ekwo granted Okorocha bail on May 31 in the amount of N500 million with one surety in the same amount.

The co-defendant of Okorocha, Chinenye, was also granted bail by the judge under the conditions of the administrative bail that had previously been granted to him by the EFCC.