By Charles Igbo
Former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha has denied evading to be served Court papers by a Court Bailiff.
Counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 20, 2022, told the Hon. Justice Inyang Ekwo, of an Abuja Federal High Court, that Okorocha has not been served because he has kept evading being served, using his security details to thwart such efforts.
The Senator was to be arraigned on Monday alongside others before the Hon. Justice Ekwo, but the Court was forced to adjourn the arraignment to March 28 because of Okorocha’s absence. All the other defendants were in Court.
But addressing the Press in Owerri after a ceremony at held at the Okorocha Foundation, the Senator not only denied evading being served with Court papers, but accused the EFCC of an attempt to subvert justice.
He asked how he could evade being served when he is processing the retrieval of his international passport from the same EFCC. Saying he is in touch with the Commission, he emphasized he would be in Court if served.
His words: “What actually happened was that the EFCC has not served me and I am in communication with the EFCC with regards to the release of my passport, so it is not true that they couldn’t serve me.
“The major issue on ground is the Port-Harcourt judgement and Court Order which restrains EFCC from making use of any investigations they claimed to have conducted regarding my administration from 2011 to 2019 because the Court considered it unlawful, the manner it was done.
“The EFCC went to the same Court asking for a change in the decision and that is the current matter so which one comes first? The cart or the horse?
“In other words, would the EFCC be seen to have disobeyed the Court’s judgement of Port-Harcourt while proceeding to Abuja to carry out a criminal arraignment when there is an Order resraining them from carrying out any investigations.
“I think that is the issue and the case is coming up on the 4th of April. I think that is the reason the EFCC does not want to proceed with these charges until they have sorted the Port-Harcourt matter out.
“So, it is not true that I am avoiding the EFCC because if they had called me to collect the papers, I would have done that. The EFCC knows what to do and they should do the needful regarding justice.”
The EFCC had, on January 31, 2022, filed a 17- count charge against Okorocha and Co at the Federal High Court, Abuja. They are accused of conspiracy in the, alleged embezzlement of funds belonging to the Imo State Government to the tune of N2.9 billion.
Okorocha insists he is a victim of persecution and reported the EFCC, according to him, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
