The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, filed a 17-count fraud charge against former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
Tribune Online reports that the anti-graft agency filed the N2.9 billion fraud charge against the former governor the same day he declared his interest to contest the 2023 presidency on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The EFCC also joined a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and five companies in the matter, wherein it accused them of conspiring to steal the sum of N2.9 billion from public coffers of Imo State and local government areas in the state when Okorocha was the state governor.
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The anti-graft agency alleged that Okorocha and his co- defendants in the charge, Anyim Nyerere Chinenye, Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Consolid Projects Consulting Limited Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited violated the Money Laundering Act 2011.
Okorocha was said to be the owner of three of the companies, namely, Consolid, Pramif and Legend World that are mentioned in the 17-count charge.
EFCC alleged in the charge that the stolen money were diverted between October 2014 and February 2016 from the Imo State Government House account and the Imo State joint local government project account.
While declaring his interest to contest the 2023 presidential election at a news conference earlier in the day, the former governor, highlighted education, security, youths and women empowerment, economic revitalization, unity and poverty eradication as parts of the cardinals of his policies, when elected the president of Nigeria.
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