The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to the former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha on the N2.9bn fraud suit filed against him.
Rochas was granted bail on Tuesday by Justice Inyang Ekwo in the sum of N500 million and a surety in like sum while ruling on the bail application submitted by Okorocha.
Okorocha, who is currently a presidential aspirant for the upcoming elections in 2023, was tried on a 17-count charge with N2.9 billion filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing him of conspiring with others to steal from public funds. But he and the rest of his co-conspirators that were indicted had pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them.
Even though granted bail, the former governor’s movement is limited to the jurisdiction of the court. In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Ekwo ordered that the guarantor provided by Okorocha must be a responsible citizen who has landed assets equal to the sum of the bail granted to him.
The judge also instructed Okorocha to tender his international passport with the court’s registry and must not travel outside the jurisdiction of the court without first obtaining consent from the court.
