Supreme Court says Rotimi Amaechi has nothing to fear since the probe panel is not competent to indict him.
The Supreme Court has given Rivers State government the nod to begin a probe of the eight-year stewardship of the state’s former governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
Amaechi is the immediate past Minister of Transportation and a frontline aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The party’s presidential primary is slated for Sunday with Amaechi as one of the top dogs.
Recall that the Rivers State government constituted a panel to probe the eight-year tenure of Amaechi as governor of Rivers State, especially an alleged missing N96 billion. Amaechi protested the probe at the High Court and Court of Appeal up to the Supreme Court.
But the apex court dismissed the appeal on the grounds that it lacks merit as Amaechi is neither on trial nor indicted for the alleged offence.
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Nyesom Wike, Rivers state governor, had set up a seven-man panel to probe Amaechi over the alleged withdrawal of N96 billion from the state’s treasury during Amaechi’s tenure as governor.
Amaechi who is currently in the presidential race prayed the Supreme Court to prohibit Wike from investigating his eight-year tenure as the executive governor of the state.
The former governor represented by Lateef Fagbemi, Amaechi predicated his opposition to the probe on the ground that it was aimed at witch-hunting him, embarrassing him, humiliating him and to as well disgrace him in view of his political differences with his successor.
However, delivering judgment on Friday, a seven-member apex court panel dismissed the appeal. But the court held that the panel is not competent to indict Amaechi.
Adamu Jauro who read the lead judgment in Amaechi’s suit said: “The appeal fails as it lacks merit.”
The court also asked the former minister to pay the respondents N1 million.