Rochas Okorocha
By Our Reporter
Out of the total sum of N7.9billion recovered from different bank accounts and assets by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC from the former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, the EFCC returned over N5.7 billion to the state, for the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions.
Not only that, the commission has also vowed to commence prosecution of the former governor upon the conclusion of its ongoing investigation. The Zonal Head of EFCC in Port Harcourt, Mr. Imam Usman disclosed this in Port Harcourt during a mid-year briefing on the activities of the commission within the six months.
Usman while speaking at the commission’s zonal office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State yesterday, said N7..9bn belonging to Imo State was seized from the former governor during EFCC investigations.
He also said the commission returned over N5.7bn to various administrations in Imo to pay salaries and pensions of workers.
He said: “I started the Imo State case in Enugu and upon my deployment to this zone, the investigations of corruption allegations against the former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, was transfered from the Enugu zone to Port Harcourt for further investigations.
“Within the period, the commission succeeded in freezing about N7.9bn in different accounts. All the monies that were released to Imo State government were from the N7.9bn recovered from Okorocha. The monies were released in batches. “N2.7bn was released in March for salaries. In the PDP government of Emeka Ihedioha, excess of N2..5bn upon series of writings and our insistence of monitoring it, was released to pay salaries and pensions because they were monies recovered from the state so it has to go back to the state. “When,the government of Emeka Ihedioha left and this government came, we had a remnant of the money in excess of N2bn. We were able to release N514milion just last month because excess of about N1.8bn is encumbered with a court process. Contractors went to court and targeted the funds. The process is lingering. They still have excess of N1.8bn that is not released”.
The EFCC zonal boss said the senator’s assets were also identified in Imo and Abuja and seized by the commission. He said the commission filed a court process for interim why forfeiture of the assets confiscated from Okorocha.
He said: “The investigation has got to an advanced stage and we are expecting that on conclusion, we are going to arraign the former governor. “It is in the course of investigations that we targeted his assets. Some are in Imo, Owerri and some are in Abuja. We marked these properties in Abuja and we have filed court processes for interim forfeiture of these assets. The target is to conclude the investigations and he will have his day in court”.
