Okorocha gets bail, may attend APC presidential screening

The Federal High Court, Abuja on Tuesday granted the bail application of former Imo State governor, Sen Rochas Okorocha.

The former governor having secured his bail from the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimea Commission headed to the All Progressives Congress Secretariat for screening as a presidential aspirant, as he was listed to face the committee today.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted embattled former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha bail in the sum of N500 million or surety in the like sum.

While granting the administrative bail on Tuesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo who ruled on the bail application filed by the Imo West Senator, held that as part of the bail condition which he must fulfil, Okorocha should provide a surety with a landed property in the Federal Capital Territory.

The judge also ordered that the Senator must submit his international passport to the court registry and seek the court’s permission before travelling outside the jurisdiction of the court.

He also ordered that Okorocha still be remanded with EFCC pending the perfection of their bail terms.

If the former governor succeeds in perfecting his his bail in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimea Commission (EFCC) may head to the All Progressives Congress Secretariat for screening as a presidential aspirant, as he was listed to face the committee today.

The former governor was arraigned on Monday before Justice Ekwo on a 17-count charge bordering on conspiracy to steal N2.9 billion in public funds during his tenure as Imo State Governor.

He was accused by the EFCC of conspiring with others, including a chieftain of the ruling APC, Anyim Chinenye and five companies; Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Consolid Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited, of conspiring to steal from the Imo State coffers.

The bail could provide Okorocha, a presidential aspirant of the APC, the leeway to attend the party’s presidential screening after he was listed among nine other contestants to face the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun screening panel on Tuesday.

Read also :APC lists Okorocha for screening despite court appearance

In a related development, Okorocha denied on Tuesday that he had sued the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and claimed N1 billion in damages over the raid on his residence in Abuja by agents of the EFCC ast week.

The ex-governor also disputed that he had informed five Nigerian Senior Advocates to file a lawsuit against the federal government.

Okorocha’s spokesperson, Sam Omwuemeodo, said in a statement in Owerri, that he had no grounds to sue the AGF because his office was not the one that broke into his home or dragged him to court.

Okorocha and his attorneys, according to the statement, were more concerned with ensuring that the ex-governor, who now represents Imo West in the Senate, regained his release as quickly as possible.

The statement reads in part, ““We were concerned with the expected hearing of the bail application today when our attention was drawn to the online stories of N1b suit and engagement of five SANS.

“Okorocha has no reason to take either the Attorney General of the Federation or the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, to court and claim N1b damages, over the invasion of his house, since the incident had nothing to do with AGF or his office.

“lf Okorocha comes out of detention and along the line and decides to take legal action to press for damages over the invasion of his residence, he knows those who carried out the action. We do not think he would include the AGF or his office.

“We know that some patriotic human rights lawyers in the country and some of them, highly respected SANs, have been of immense help in dealing with human rights violations in the country, most of the time on their own, to help the society.

“We are, therefore, having the feeling that the renowned Senior Advocates mentioned in the online stories, might have been challenged by the invasion of Okorocha’s private residence by agents of the EFCC and might have also decided to take the bull by the horns.

“We thank them. If Okorocha comes out of detention and decides to walk in that direction, fine. But one fact would be made clear and that is, that the AGF and the office of AGF would not be parts of the action, because they had nothing to do with the invasion of Okorocha’s private residence.

“We have done this to keep the record straight. We are looking forward to seeing Okorocha out of detention by the grace of God and the magnanimity of His Lordship, handling the case.”

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