Rochas suffers setback in bid to end EFCC investigations into his affairs while governor

SENATOR Rochas Okorocha has suffered a setback in his bid to halt a probe into the monetary affairs of Imo State while he was governor after failing to get federal a high court to restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating him.

Between 2011 and 2019, Senator Okorocha served as the Imo State governor and has since gone on to get elected as the senator representing Imo West Senatorial District. After he left office, both the EFCC and a state panel of enquiry begun investigating the financial transactions which took place during his tenure.

In a bid to halt investigations, Senator Okorocha filed a suit at the Abuja high court, requesting that all probes be stopped but today, Justice Ahmed Mohammed turned down the request. Oba Maduabuchi, Senator Okorocha's lawyer, had asked the court to make an order stopping the parties in the suit from going ahead with the probe.

Mr Madu, counsel to second to 48th defendants involved in the suit then interjected, saying that the probe panel had not commenced sitting. He assured the court that he would inform the Imo State attorney-general not to begin sitting until the suit was determined.

In his ruling, Justice Mohammed held that it would be of no use to grant a restraining order, since Mr Madu had undertaken to tell the parties not to go ahead with the probe. Justice Mohammed also noted that since the EFCC was not represented in court, it would be unfair to grant the request in the interest of justice, so adjourned the matter until July 14 for hearing.