In a surprising turn of events, the Rivers State Government has decided to withdraw the money laundering and criminal charges filed against Hon. Chinyere Igwe, a former member of the House of Representatives. This decision comes after Igwe’s arrest on the eve of the February 25, 2023 presidential election when he was found in possession of a staggering sum of $499,000,000 in cash
Following his arrest, Igwe was granted bail after spending several weeks in custody. The allegations against him claimed that the substantial amount of money was intended for bribing INEC officials and security personnel.
During the court hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning to commence the proper trial, Professor Zacchaeus Adangor, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Rivers State, surprised everyone by announcing the withdrawal of the case against Igwe. However, no specific reasons were given for this decision by the state government.
In response to the state government’s position, Hon. Justice Stephen Daylop-Pam, the trial judge, ruled in favor of the withdrawal. With no opposition from the defense counsel, the judge discharged the defendant, Hon. Chinyere Igwe.
Furthermore, as part of the court’s ruling, Hon. Justice Daylop-Pam ordered the Police to return Igwe’s international passport and any other exhibits that were seized during the course of the investigation.