JUST IN: Okorocha may miss APC screening, as court remands him in EFCC custody

A federal High Court in Abuja on Monday remanded former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha in the custody of the EFCC, after rejecting his bail application.

With this, Okorocha may miss the screening for presidential aspirants by his party, the APC, which kicks off today (Monday).

Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered that Okorocha, be remanded in EFCC custody, after he pleaded not guilty to the 17-count money laundering charges the Commission preferred against him and six others on Monday.

Okorocha who was earlier arraigned at the court by the anti-graft agency, took his plea alongside his fellow accused, Anyim Nyerere Chinenye, a chieftain of the All Progressive (APC) in Imo State and five companies related to him, namely Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Consolid Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited.

When the charge was read to him before Justice Ekwo, Okorocha who is the Senator representing Imo West senatorial district at the National Assembly, pleaded not guilty.

Read also: EFCC arraigns ex-Gov Okorocha in court

“I understand the charge against me, but I am not guilty, my lord,” he said.

Okorocha who was Governor of Imo State from 2011 to 2019, was accused by the EFCC of diverting state funds to the tune of about N2.9 billion and charged on conspiracy and stealing.

He and his co-defendants were alleged to have siphoned funds from the state account as well as the Imo State Joint Local Government Project account, and diverted same into accounts of private firms between October 2014 and February 2016.

Following pleas by his lawyer, Okey Amaechi, who prayed the court to release the APC presidential aspirant on bail pending the determination of the case against him, Justice Ekwo ordered that the accused should remain in EFCC custody, pending the determination of the bail application which he set for Tuesday, May 31.

The remand of Okorocha who is a presidential aspirant of APC, may likely lead to his missing the screening exercise which was fixed to hold for two day starting today.

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