The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, has ordered the freezing of all the accounts of Imo State Government and the confiscation of all monies domiciled in them. The court gave the order while delivering judgement on an appeal filed by the Governor of the state Rochas Okorocha, the Attorney General of Imo State, the Environmental Transformation Committee and the Ministry of Petroleum and Environment, Imo State.
The state government had approached the court to upturn earlier judgments delivered by Hon. Justice Maryann Anenih of Maitama High Court, Abuja, and Hon. Justice Ijeoma Agugua, in suit numbers FCT/HC/M/9257/2016 and HU/538/2011, filed by one of its contractors, E. F. Network Nigeria Limited and Mr. Gideon Egbuchulam who the state owed N1 billion.
The Abuja courts had delivered judgments in favor of one of the state contractors. The Court of Appeal in its ruling yesterday ordered that the confiscated funds of the state be used to offset the N1 billion debt owed E. F. Network Nigeria Limited and Gideon Egbuchulam.