Rivers to prosecute Amaechi over missing N97bn

Based on the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry it set up, the Rivers State government has said it will prosecute former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and two others over their role in alleged misappropriation of the state’s funds amounting to over N97 billion realized from sales of assets of the state.

The state government also ordered Amaechi, retired Brigadier Anthony Ukpo, former military administrator of the state and some former political office holders to refund the money.

Governor Nyesom Wike also ordered the suspension of permanent secretaries and other top civil servants indicted by the report of the Justice George Omereji-led Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the sales of valued assets of the state during the immediate past administration.

The state’s commissioner for Housing, Barrister Emma Okah spoke to newsmen on Friday, at the end of the state executive council meeting after receiving the White Paper on the Commission’s report.

He stated that the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Chinwe Aguma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has been directed to commence the process of prosecuting Amaechi along with the former Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside and his counterpart in the Ministry of Power, Sir Augustine Nwokocha.

Okah said the state government also ordered the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, to commence the recovery of funds realised from the sale of the four gas turbines from the former governor and Nwokocha.

He said: “You will agree with me that the Omereji commission had several terms of references and we will be taking them one after the other. The first term of reference is to ascertain the sale of the Omoku 150 megawatts gas turbine; Afam 360 megawatts gas turbine; Trans-Amadi 136 megawatts gas turbine and the Eleme 75 megawatts gas turbine by the administration of former Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

“The commission finds as a fact that the sale of 70% equity from the First Independent Power Limited in Omoku gas turbine, Trans-Amadi gas turbine, Afam Phase I gas turbine and Eleme gas turbine, have been very difficult to justify. They have therefore recommended the review of sale of the power assets and the government of Rivers State has accepted that recommendation.

“Refund of proceeds by Chibuike Amaechi , Chamberlain Peterside, and Augustine Nwokocha, in furtherance of this findings that the sale of the four gas turbines was unjustifiable and against the interest of the government and people of Rivers State.

“The commission recommends that the former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, along with his former commissioners for Finance and Power, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha, respectively, should be held to account for their roles in the sales of the power generation assets of First Independent Power Limited and the disbursement of the proceeds there from.

Read also: Amaechi vs Wike: The mud bath continues

“Government accepts this recommendation and directs the office of the Honourable Attorney-General and commissioner for Justice, to promptly set in motion the appropriate machinery for the recovery of the proceeds of the sale of the gas turbines from the former governor, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, and every other persons implicated in the commission’s report.”

Okah stated that the state govern­ment has directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to recover the three billion from former Commissioner for Agriculture, Emma Chinda, which were meant for agricultural free loans to farmers.

Also, he stated that former commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker was to refund some billions of naira used without due process for the construction of the Justice Karibi-Whyte Hospital, while the former Commissioner for Transport, George Tolofari and former military Governor of Old Rivers State, General Anthony Ukpo were to join Amaechi in returning N33 billion spent on the state monorail project without passing through due process.

Reacting to the development, the Secretary, Media and Publicity Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Godstime Orlukwu, described the decision of the state government to issue a White Paper of the Omereji report as a non issue.

Orlukwu stated that Amaechi, who is the leader of the party in the state, would definitely meet the state government in court, when it fulfills its promise to prosecute the former governor.

Meanwhile, Amaechi, was sighted at the Senate on Friday obviously to perfect his documentation at the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang.

Ameachi, who drove himself to the Federal Parliament in company of the immediate past senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District, Magnus Abe, spent about one hour in Enang’s office, without granting an interview.

Also, 13 PDP members of the House of Representatives from Rivers State on Friday protested the nomination of Amaechi for appointment as a minister by submitting a petition to the Office of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki.

In the petition, the legislators called on the Senate to disqualify Amaechi on the grounds of having several corruption allegations against him.

The petitioners are Betty Apiafi; Kingsley Chinda; Gogo Tamuno; Kenneth Chikere; Blessing Nsiegbe; Jacobson Nbina; Dumnamene Dekor; Awaji – Inombek Abiante; Uche Obi; Randolph Brown; Boniface Emerengwa; Jerome Eke; and Boma Goodhead.

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