The former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Chairman of Sahara Energy Resources, Tonye Cole, ex-military administrator, Brigadier Anthony Ukpo (rtd) and six former commissioners for Health, Power, Transport, Commerce, Finance and Agriculture, are to face prosecution for the sales and buying of state-owned assets, a White Paper on the Justice George Omeregi Commission report has recommended.
The White Paper on the panel report  released over the weekend by the State Executive Council after a meeting on Thursday, directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Emmanuel Aguma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) to immediately commence judicial process of recovering the assets.
Briefing newsmen on the details of the report, Commissioner for Housing, Barrister Emma Okah, stated that the sales of the 70 per cent equity share of the four gas power turbines at Omoku, Eleme, Trans-Amadi and Afam, totalling 621 megawatts at the cost of $800,000 per unit to Sahara NG HPS Limited was unjustifiable and against the interest of the state.
It also said the transaction was not transparent as NG Power HPS Ltd was yet to pay an outstanding balance of $28.4 million, after it acquired the power plants below market price of $432 million, even though actual balance was $146.5 million.
On the sale of Olympia Hotel, the report also picked holes in the concessioning agreement leasing the property for 40 years to one Centro Sarotem Hotel Limited for a fee of $1miilion  equivalent to  about N55.7million. While the actual sum of $2.4 million was to be paid, the cumulative concession value of the property and land was put at $3.450 million.
In the words of Okah, “the commission called for the review of the concession agreement covering the value of land, deduction of concession and for non-employment of Rivers State indigenes”.
Okah revealed that the commission further uncovered an illegal account opened by the Ministry of Commerce where about $155.7 million from the hotel concession was lodged.
“The account was opened by the ministry without the requisite authorization of the Accountant–General of the State,”Okah stated.
On the Monorail Project, the white paper indicted former military administrator of old Rivers State, Brigadier Anthony Ukpo, whose company, TSI Ltd had entered into a partnership agreement with Rivers State Government on the project.
While the state government was to contribute 20 per cent and TSI 80 per cent, yet the private partner never contributed as the state invested over N35 billion, which N11 billion was paid to Rivers State Monorail Company Limited managed by TSI Ltd.
The white paper called for the recovery of the fund from the company, Amaechi and former Transport Commissioner, George Tolofari, who were the masterminds of the failed project, as it frowned at the huge sum paid to Argus Gibbs a consultancy firm on the project at the tune of N696million since it contravened Section 52 of the State Procurement Law No4 of 2008.
The White Paper also directed the Attorney–General and Commissioner for Justice to commence legal proceedings to recover funds meant for the planned Adolphus Karibi Whyte Mega Hospital which never saw the light of the day.
The hospital initially conceived under private partnership deal shared funding between the state and one Clinotech Ltd 40 to 60 per cent.
While the state government contributed its own funding of $39 million, Clinotech failed in its obligation.
As if that was not enough, the report revealed that the state government went further to release a new Clinotech Turnkey project to the tune of N150 million as mobilization fee.
“The commission found that Clinotech Turnkey Management Ltd got N200 million paid in excess with nothing to show”, the report  further revealed.
The report picked holes in the disbursement of the N2billion agric loan. The panel found that in June 2014 the past administration had accessed the loan from the Central Bank with plans to disburse to qualified agric cooperatives societies, but rather than do so, it gave the loans to politicians and cronies.
“About 282 cooperatives societies were hurriedly registered in 2014, while 38 were never registered at all,” according to the report.
The commission also found that the various local government chairmen were made managers of the fund, and therefore, called on former Governor Amaechi, the Agric Commissioner and those who disbursed the fund against the loan guidelines to be prosecuted and made to refund the monies.
On the State Reserve Fund, the panel found that over N38billion was saved in the account set up in 2008.
The fund grew to about N55billion in 2014 through investments. But in March 2014, the Rivers State House of Assembly passed a bill to remove the emergency clause to withdraw monies from the fund.
The amendment gave room for the withdrawal of N53billion between February 2014 to March 2015.
According to the panel, “the attempt by Governor Amaechi to withdraw the last N1.2 billion was prevented by some government institutions.”
The White Paper recommended that the ex-governor and principal officers of the House be prosecuted, while the former Secretary to the State Government be made to refund sum of N400million withdrawn in March and another N170 million withdrawn on 25th March.
The report also directed the owner of Orosi House to be made to account for about N300million for the lease of the property in 2012, even after the building had been gutted by fire some years before.