Rivers govt withdraws criminal charges filed against Amaechi, Cole

The Rivers State Government, on Thursday, withdrew a criminal case it filed against former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tonye Cole, according to the state’s Attorney-General of the State and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zaccheus Adangor.

The state government had in June, filed a criminal suit against the former Minister of Transportation and Cole accusing them of selling government assets and diversion of the proceeds which ran into billions of naira during Amaechi’s tenure as the state governor.

Some of the state assets the government accused the duo of selling included the Omoku Gas Turbine, Afam Gas Turbine, Trans Amadi Gas Turbine, Eleme Gas Turbine, Olympia Hotel and the award of contract for the execution of a monorail project.

However, at the resumption of the case on Thursday, Adengor who also acted as the lawyer to the goverment, informed the presiding judge, Justice Okogbule Gbasam, that the government had resolved to withdraw the charges.

Though the lawyer to the APC, Amaechi and Cole contended that withdrawing the suit was an abuse of court process and prayed the judge to dismiss the criminal charges if the suit must be withdrawn, Justice Gbasam struck out the suit and the charges against the accused.

While reacting to the withdrawal of the case during a chat with journalists, Cole said the charges were withdrawn due to lack of merit.

“As you have probably heard, The Rivers State government recently withdrew the case it instituted against my person for lack of merit.

“The state government had hoped they would be able to use their power to intimidate the judiciary to do their bidding, but we are grateful that our judiciary has shown itself to be upright and above reproach.

“The agents of the state government were loud when they approached the court, but with the judiciary having shown it cannot be used to fight political battles, the state government has quietly withdrawn their case, without any of the usual fanfare.

“I salute the courage of our judiciary and commend it’s leadership for the message of incorruptibility which they have sent to everyone who thought they could pervert justice through intimidation,” he said.

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