S’Court Orders Amaechi To Pay Wike N1m, Dismisses Appeal

Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by former Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi seeking to stop probe of his management of N96 billion while serving as River State governor.

The apex court in a judgement delivered in Abuja on Friday by Justice Emmanuel Augie not only dismissed Amaechi’s appeal but also ordered him to pay the sum of N1 million to Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

Governor Wike had proposed to set up a seven-man panel to probe Amaechi’s eight year tenure as Governor with regards to some transactions carried out estimated at about N96 billion.

The panel is to investigate how the sales of some valuable assets were carried out. Some of the assets include: Olympia Hotel, Omoku Gas Turbine, Afam Gas Turbine, Trans Amadi Gas Turbine and Eleme Gas Turbine.

Amaechi, however, filed an action at the High Court in Rivers State to restrain the panel from probing him.

The former Transport Minister challenged the constitution of the panel and alleged that the plan was to witch-hunt and humiliate him, but the court struck out the suit.

He proceeded to the Court of Appeal but also lost out, and he subsequently headed to the Supreme Court to determine the matter.

The apex court ruled that his appeal lacked merit, arguing that the issue of not being given a fair hearing is immaterial as no one was on trial.

The ruling means that Governor Wike would continue with the proposed probe of Amaechi.