Fresh trouble seems to be waiting for the former governor of Imo State and Senator representing Orlu Zone, Owelle Rochas Okorocha as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, get a nod from court for his investigation.
A non-governmental organization, Kingdom Human Right Foundation International and Rights for All International had gone to court to seek the EFCC to among others, investigates the administration of Okorocha in Imo State.
Consequent upon this application, a federal High Court in Abuja granted the permission for the prosecution of a suit by Justice Ahmed Mohammad in a ruling on March 3, 2020. The matter was adjourned till March 17 for hearing.
Named as defendants in the case are in EFCC, Okorocha, Zigreat International Company Limited, Eze Stanley Enwereku and Duru Cyracus Onyeobi.
Trumpeta learnt that the court approval may see EFCC go after Okorocha again after initial quest to investigate the senator.
This newspaper recalls that the former governor had been in EFCC radar but got excused from investigation because of impunity. Even before he left office as governor, Okorocha had gone to court to stop EFCC, and police investigation.
The plaintiffs, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/130/2020, filed by their lawyer, K. M. Okere, sought to compel the EFCC to investigate Okorocha and others over sundry allegations of financial impropriety while in office. They claimed to have petitioned the EFCC in 2019, but alleged that the anti-graft agency failed to act on the petition. The plaintiffs stated that, by their suit for judicial review, they want the court to order the EFCC to “investigate the allegation of corruption, money laundering, inflated contract, unlawful award of contract without due process and breach of Procurement Act, criminal over-inflation of contracts fully paid for with public funds against the 2nd to the 5th defendants in this suit, as contained in the plaintiffs’ petition dated 22nd August 2019.”
