By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The Port Harcourt Zone of the the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has so far released over N5.7 billion out of the N7.9 billion recovered from former Imo State governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha to various administrations in Imo State to enable the State pay salaries and pensions to its workers
The zonal head of the Commission, Usman Imam, made the information public on Thursday, June 11, at the Commission’s zonal office in Port Harcourt.
Speaking at the Commission’s zonal office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Usman Imam disclosed that N7.9 billion belonging to Imo State was seized from the former governor, Rochas Okorocha during investigations by the EFCC, adding that Okorocha who is representing Imo West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, should get ready for his day in court.
Usman Imam, who has been in charge of the ongoing probe of the former governor, 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 transferred from the Enugu zone to Port Harcourt for further investigations.
“Within the period, the Commission succeeded in freezing about N7.9 billion in different accounts. All the monies that were released to Imo State government were from the N7.9 billion recovered from Okorocha. The monies were released in batches.
“N2.7 billion was released in March for salaries. In the PDP government of Emeka Ihedioha, excess of N2.5 billion 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.
“Then the government of Emeka left and this government came, we had a remnant of the money in excess of N2 billion.
“We were able to release N514 milion just last month because excess of about N1.8 billion is encumbered with a court process.
“Contractors went to court and targeted the funds. The process is lingering. They still have excess of N1.8 billion that is not released”.
Apart from the fund recovered from Senator Rochas Okorocha, the anti-graft agency revealed that the Senator’s assets were also identified in Imo and Abuja and seized by the Commission, adding that it filed a court process for interim forfeiture of the assets confiscated from Okorocha.
The EFCC Port Harcourt zonal head said that: “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”.