By Chris Njoku, Owerri
Former governor of Imo State Senator Rochas Okorocha has faulted Monday’s court ruling ordering the forfeiture of his acquired properties while in office.
Justice Fred Njemanze (SAN) had ruled that the ex-governor should forfeit the properties/assets contained in the White Paper by the Commission of Inquiry set up by the government, which indicted him.
However, reacting, Okorocha through his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, faulted the ruling, alleging that the judge gave out the ruling as a parting gift to the state government, as he (Justice Njemanze) retired from service a day after the judgment.
Counsel for Imo State Government in the application for forfeiture of assets acquired by Okorocha, Louis Alozie, (SAN), has said that people were dispossessed of their properties during his (Okorocha’s) administration.
He said the citizens suffered deprivation and forceful acquisition of their properties during the eight years tenure of the Okorocha administration.
Said he: “For us , we thank God that Imo State people, who have been crying over the deprivation, over forceful acquisition of their properties by the former governor, have today, with the ruling and recommendation in the government White Paper, recovered their properties.
“So, those private persons have now recovered their properties because the condition is that they should be returned to their original owners. Those original owners, including mechanics and artisans, who were dispossessed of their properties, have now gotten them without much ado.”
He frowned at the manner the former governor grabbed individuals’ and government’s properties, using his wife and family members as fronts to develop and sell them.
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