By Florence Uwaeme
A Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt has set aside a bench warrant of arrest issued against the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Tonye Cole and Austin Wokocha.
The warrant of arrest was issued last month by a High Court in Port Harcourt in a criminal case instituted by the Rivers State State Government.
The state government accused Amaechi and Wokocha of selling public assets including the state’s gas turbines to Sahara Energy, a company that is owned by Cole, the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate in the March 18 election.
The ruling in an appeal filed by Amaechi and the others seeking the setting side of the order by a lower court, Justice Abdul-azeez Waziri, who read the ruling that was prepared by the presiding Judge of the Court, Joseph Ikyegh, said the order by the lower court was made in defiance of the Court of Appeal.
His appeal was considered by a panel of three judges, of which two of them agreed that the order be set aside, while the other, departed.
The court contended that the order of arrest was given when there was already an application before the Appeal Court by Amaechi challenging the service of information on him pursuant to Section 313 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in the state.
Counsel representing Amaechi, Achinike Wobodo said a lower court was supposed to have respected the hierarchy of court placements in the nation’s judiciary.
On his part, one of the state government lawyers, Alphansus Sibi, accepted the position of the Appeal Court in good fate.
