Godwin Tsa Abuja
The Senator representing Imo West senatorial district and immediate past Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha has asked the Abuja division of the Federal High Court to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and members of the state probe panel from further investigating him over the purported financial infractions he allegedly committed while in office.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/558/2020 filed on May 18, Okorocha specifically want the EFCC to end or suspend it’s investigation including all the petitions submitted to it by the Imo State Government until the panel on contract set up by the same state government has concluded it’s probe.
Other defendants in the suit filed by his counsel, Oba Maduabuchi (SAN) are the Attorney General of Imo State;  members of the Judicial Commission on Lands and Related matters, members of the panel to investigate the activities of ISOPADEC; members of the panel to investigate the status of the newly established Tertiary institutions; members of the investigative committee for financial transactions in Imo State; Committee for the Review of appointments recruitments and related matters from 2015 till date and the Committee for the investigation of LGA.

Former Governor of Imo State,  Emeka Ihedioha  had August 19, 2019 constituted an 8-man committee to ascertain the financial transactions of the State under the leadership of  Rochas Okorocha (May 2006 – 2019).

Abraham Nwankwo, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), an administrator and bureaucrat will head the committee, while Nick Oparadundu, a former local government chairman during the days of former governor of the state, Achike Udenwa as the secretary of the probing committee.

But in his suit, the former governor is pressing for a declaration of the court that having reported the alleged financial infractions said to be committed by him during his tenure as governor of the state to the EFCC, and the Commission having commenced the investigation of the purported infractions reported against him and which investigation is still ongoing, it is unlawful, illegal, null, void and of no effect for the Attorney General of Imo State, which made the report to the EFCC in the first place to also, and during the pendency of the said investigation, set up the Commission or panel of inquiry to investigate the same financial improprieties already being investigated by the EFCC.

A declaration that by setting up the probe panel, the Attorney General of Imo State has by implication admitted that it was still looking fit facts that will ground the investigation by the EFCC and thus the Commission cannot engage in any speculative investigation but should suspend all it’s investigation activities until the probe panel has finished it’s probe and found anything worth investigating before it can commence it’s own criminal investigation.

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The plaintiff want a declaration that subjecting him to simultaneous investigation by the EFCC and members of the Imo State probe panel on contracts awards from May 2006 to May 2017) for financial infractions during his tenure as governor of Imo State between May 2011 and May 2019 based upon the facts and the same report is unconstitutional and against the spirit of double jeopardy.

In his statement of claim, the plaintiff stated that he is facing double investigation one by the EFCC and the other by the probe panel on award of contracts.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.