Ministerial screening: Senate suspends probe against Amaechi

The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public
Petitions on Monday called off the consideration of the
petitions it received against the nomination of former
Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.
     

Recall that a group based in Port Harcourt, The Integrity

Group, had forwarded a petition to the Senate, alleging

financial impropriety against Amaechi with the aim of

preventing him from being confirmed as minister.

The petitioners, who sent their petition to the Senate

through Senator George Thompson Sekibo and two other

Senators, claimed that Amaechi mismanaged N70 billion

Rivers State funds.

The Senate committee, after a brief meeting with Amaechi

at the National Assembly, said the subject matter of the

petition which is related to the white paper on a report of

a Judicial Panel of Inquiry is already a subject of court

case.

The former Rivers governor, who appeared before the

committee in company with his former Commissioner for

Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari and two members of the

House of Representatives, told the panelists that the

matter upon which the committee invited him is pending

before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Samuel

Anyanwu, had wanted to know from Amaechi if the matter

was awaiting court pronouncement.

Anyanwu after hearing from Amaechi noted that in line

with Section 7 of the Senate Standing Rules, it would

amount to sub-judice to consider the petition.