Nigeria’s Supreme Court has dismissed a suit filed by Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State and presidential aspirant of the All Progressive Congress, (APC), to stop his planned probe over alleged N96 billion fraud.
The apex court, in a unanimous judgement by a five-man panel of Justices, said it found no reason to stop the Rivers State government from probing the erstwhile governor over his alleged involvement in the fraudulent sales of valued assets belonging to the state.
The lead judge, Justice Adamu Jauro who read the lead judgement, noted that Amaechi’s appeal lacked merit and accordingly dismissed it.
It ordered the Appellant to go and face the Commission of Inquiry that was set up by the Rivers state government to investigate his 8-year tenure as governor of the state.
The court affirmed the judgments of both the High Court of Rivers State and that of the Court of Appeal which had earlier dismissed Amaechi’s case for want of merit.
It further slammed N1million fine against the Appellant.
Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, had earlier inaugurated a seven-man Commission of Inquiry headed by Justice George Omekeji, to investigate allegations of financial malfeasance against the former governor.
Some of the valuable assets that Amaechi was summoned to give account of, included the Omoku Gas Turbine, Afam Gas Turbine, Trans Amadi Gas Turbine, Eleme Gas Turbine, Olympia Hotel, as well as his alleged award of contract for the execution of Mono Rail Project.