The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says a former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, will soon be arraigned on corruption charges.
EFCC zonal head, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Usman Imam, said on Thursday that N7.9 billion belonging to Imo was seized from the former governor during EFCC investigation.
Mr Imam said about N5.7 billion has been returned to various administrations in Imo to pay salaries and pensions.
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.
“Then the government of Emeka 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.”
Imam said the commission also seized assets in Imo and Abuja linked to Okorocha and that a motion for interim forfeiture of the assets had been filed.
“The investigation has got to an advanced stage and we are expecting that on conclusion, we are going to arraign the former governor,” he said.
