A State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has issued a bench warrant against a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election, Tonye Cole.
The presiding judge, Chinwendu Nwogu, also issued a bench warrant against Sahara Energy Resources Limited, Chamberlain Peterside, NG Powers, HPs Limited, and Cenpropsaroten Management Limited over failure to appear before the court to answer to criminal charges against them.
The criminal charges filed afresh in January by the Rivers State Government against these defendants is a lawsuit on misappropriation of public funds against former Governor Amaechi during his first tenure from 2007 to 2015.
The allegations were labelled against Amaechi’s led administration after the findings and report of a panel constituted by Governor Nyesom Wike in 2015.
Amaechi and Sahara Energy Group Resources Limited, a company co-owned by Tonye Cole, is being prosecuted over allegations that they diverted $50 million from the state’s account to Sahara Energy during Amaechi’s tenure as governor.
The Rivers State Government dropped the charges in October 2022 and thereafter filed fresh charges against them in January 2023.
