The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami has adviced Abdulrasheed Bawa, the Executive Chairman, Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to comply with several court orders on criminal charges preferred against Senator Rochas Okorocha.
Security operatives attached to the EFCC Tuesday arrested the former governor of Imo State, and was taken to the headquarters of the commission after a mild drama where he will be until May 30 when he will be arraigned in court.
EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, also said the move followed the alleged refusal of the former governor to honour several invitations extended to him after jumping the administrative bail earlier granted him by the commission.
But the Malami in a letter dated April 2, 2022 addressed to EFCC chairman titled “RE: WANTON VIOLATION OF ORDER OF COURT BY THE EFCC WITH RESPECT TO THE ARREST, PREFERMENT OF CHARGE AND THREAT OF PROSECUTION OF EX, GOVERNOR OF IMO STATE, SEN. ROCHAS ANAYO OKOROCHA” asked that in view of the “circumstances and further to all correspondence and court orders, it was his considered advice that compliance be observed.
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The letter read in part, “The letter dated 1st April 2022 from Ola Olanipekun, SAN & Co, (on behalf of HE, Senator Rochas Anayo Okorocha, former Governor of Imo State between 2011 and 2019); written further to previous correspondence on the above subject matter refers,
a. Federal High Court Sult No; FHC/AB)J/CS/475/2019.
b. Subsisting Court case Sult No: FHC/ABJ/CS/508/2020,
c. Letter dated 3th June 2021, and signed by the Solicitor-General of the Federation & Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice DOPPA/LF/242/21.
d. A letter under my hand dated 15″ September 2021 ref: M3/CIV/AB8I/366/2021.
“Further to the above, my attention has been drawn to the most recent Order of the: Federal High Court Port-Harcourt Coram Dalyop Pam in Suit No: FHC/PH/FHR/165/2021 ‘dated 6th September 2021 and 6th December 2021 respectively inter alia declaring the entire Investigatlon of Senator Okorocha by the Commission as being contrary to the presumption of innocence and right to fair hearing guaranteed to Senator Okorocha under Sections 6(6) and 35 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended and consequently null and void.
“In circumstances and further to all correspondence and court orders earlier stated you are requested to consider compliance.”