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Alleged Fraud: Okorocha May Miss APC Screening As Court Defers Bail Hearing
Former governor of Imo State and All Progressives Congress, APC presidential aspirant, Owelle Rochas Okorocha may miss the screening set for all aspirants as a Federal High Court on Monday deferred hearing on his bail application to Tuesday, May 31, 2022.
Okorocha who has been in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for days, appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja where he pleaded not guilty to the N2.9 billion fraud charges leveled against him by the Federal Government.
Okorocha was slammed with a 17-count charge, including diverting N2.9 billion from Imo State government House Accounts and that of Imo State Local Government Joint accounts to private companies.
According to reports, the transactions were said to have been done by Okorocha and one Anyim Inyerere with the use of their private companies between 2014 and 2016 when he served as the Governor of Imo State.
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Although he denied all the charges, Okorocha has however engaged the services of four Senior Advocates of Nigeria comprising Okey Amaechi, Solomon Umar, Ola Olanipekun and Kehinde Ogunwumiju to defend him from the allegations against him.
Shortly after the plea was heard, EFCC counsel, Gbolahan Latona, asked the case be adjourned to enable him to assemble his witnesses that will testify during the trial.
He disclosed that 15 witnesses have been arranged to testify against the All Progressive Congress APC presidential aspirant and that most of the witnesses are outside the court’s jurisdiction.
Okorocha’s counsel, Okey Amaechi, made it known that an application for the bail of his client had been summited and the same served on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
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However, the anti-graft agency countered saying that it intends to file a counter affidavit against the bail issued.
Although the EFCC lawyer sought an adjournment to June 1 for arguments on bail, Justice Ekwo ruled that he would take all the bail applications on May 31 and directed EFCC to endeavour to file its opposition within time.
Justice Inyang Ekwo subsequently ordered Okorocha’s further detention till May 31 when hearing on his bail application would be argued with the prospects of missing his APC screening which is expected to end same day.
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