Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 22, 2022 for hearing Sen. Rochas Okorocha’s prayer for an order quashing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s allegations of N2.9 billion fraud proffered against him.
Justice Ekwo adjourned the case so that EFCC’s counsel, G.K. Latona, can respond to Okorochas’ preliminary objection filed by his counsel Ola Olanipekun, SAN.
Ekwo noted that the application would be taken in the next adjourned date, and ordered all parties to file and serve necessary processes before the scheduled date.
It would be recalled Okorocha, in the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/28/22 dated and filed on Oct. 28, sought an order to quash the charge and/or all counts of the charge preferred against him as a result of the investigation by the EFCC into his activities while in office as governor of Imo between 2011 and 2019.
Okorocha, said the suit was “unlawful, baseless, oppressive and a gross abuse of the process of the court,” and therefore, sought “an order discharging and/or acquitting the 1st defendant/applicant (Okorocha), pursuant to prayer (1) supra.”
Okorocha said the investigation “on which the said charge was predicated, was subject matter of suit number: FCH/PH/FHR/165/2021 wherein this Hon. Court, Coram Pam, J. had, in final judgment at the suit of the applicant. declared unlawful and made an order prohibiting the EFCC from further proceeding.”
He, therefore, said that the present charge “is an abuse of prosecutorial powers and judicial process, as the said declaratory and prohibitory orders were and are still extant, at all times material, before and after the preferment of the charge,” among others.
