By Deborah Hassan
365Daily– A bail application filed by the immediate past Governor of Imo State, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, has been denied by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
The Court, on Friday, May 27, 2022, refused to admit Sen. Okorocha, who is currently in Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody, to bail.
Okorocha, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is standing trial alongside others on allegations bordering on money laundering while he served as Governor of Imo.
He was forcefully arrested by the EFCC on May 24, 2022, at his Abuja residence, after allegedly refusing to honour several invitations of the Commission.
Presiding judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, ordered Okorocha, through his lawyer, Ola Olanipekun (SAN), to put the anti-graft agency on notice.
Olanipekun had, in an ex-parte motion marked FHC/ABJ/CR/28/2022, prayed the court to grant Okorocha bail on liberal terms pending the hearing and determination of motion on notice filed on May 25.
The ex-parte motion was dated and filed May 26.
But Justice Ekwo held that since the matter would be coming up on Monday, May 30, making an order for the release of the lawmaker on bail would be unnecessary.
The senior lawyer also hinted that he had also filed a motion on notice, seeking for his client’s bail.
The judge, who fixed May 30 for the hearing of the motions, directed the lawyer to put the EFCC on notice.
Ekwo had, in the last adjourned date, given the anti-corruption commission May 30 as the last time the matter would be adjourned following the EFCC’s complaint that it had been unable to serve Okorocha despite several efforts.
The judge had threatened to strike out the case if the EFCC failed to produce the Senator in the next adjourned date, after two adjournments for his arraignment.
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