Forfeiture of N1.5Bn hospital is fairy tale, unconnected to Okorocha or his aide – Spokesman

Spokesman to Senator Rochas Okorocha, the former governor of Imo state, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo has dismissed the reported permanent forfeiture of the N1.5billion ‘Due of Hope hospital’ as untrue.

Onwuemeodo also stated that linking the hospital to Okorocha and his former Principal Secretary, Dr. Paschal Obi was cheap blackmail.

In a press statement issued Tuesday, and obtained by crimefacts.news , Okorocha’s media aide said that the former governor’s handlers had delayed their response to the trending ‘false narrative’ to first find out how a matter pending at the Federal High Court, PortHarcourt in suit No. FHC/PH/93/2019 “suddenly landed in Owerri and was heard and determined without notice to the interested parties in Suit No. FHC/OW/CS/132/2019”.

The statement read: “the suit concerning the Dews of Hope Specialist Hospital was filed by the EFCC at the Federal High Court, Port-Harcourt in Suit No: FHC/PHC/MISC/93/209. Then the owners of the Hospital made applications and provided documents from the Corporate Affairs Commission showing that Dr. Pascal Obi is not the owner of the said Hospital.

“Based on the facts available to it, the EFCC filed a preliminary objection on 7/8/2019 challenging the competence of Dr. Pascal Obi in the matter asserting that; Dr Pascal Obi is not a Director in Dews of Hope Specialist Hospital and is not also the financier, owner and the promoter of the hospital.

“Following further application made by the EFCC, the Honourable court made an order on 12^th September, 2019 deleting the name of Dews of Hope Specialist Hospital from the list of properties forfeited in the interim to the Federal Government. It remains a surprise how the matter surfaced again at Owerri with the ruling of 6^th Dec, 2019.

“While investigations reveal that the said ruling delivered by the Federal High Court, Owerri, on 6^th December, 2019 is already subject of a pending appeal at the Court of Appeal by the owners of the Hospital, it is important to clarify that contrary to the claims in the media reports, there was no finding or decision by the Court that any Imo State Government’s funds was traced to the said Hospital.

“   We therefore urge the general public to disregard the jaundiced media reports orchestrated by heartless politicians who want to use this matter to discredit and blackmail, not only the former governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, but also his Political aides.”