The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to a total of 75 years imprisonment on a 12-count charge of money laundering to a tune of N33.8 billion linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects preferred against him by the federal government.
The trial judge, Justice James Omotosho, handed down the sentence after finding Mamman, who was absent in court guilty on all the 12-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Omotosho said that the absence of the ex-minister in court today and on the last adjourned date was a deliberate attempt to stop the wheel of justice.
The judge, who agreed with the EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, that though the defendant was not in court, the provisions of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, give the court the power to proceed with the sentencing, held that Mamman cannot claimed to have suffered a miscarriage of justice.
The judge consequently sentenced the convict to seven years imprisonment in Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 without option of fine.
Justice Omotosho also sentenced him to three year-jail term in Count 4 with an option of fine of a N10 million and two years’ imprisonment in Count 5 without option of fine.
The judge, who ordered that the sentence shall run consecutively, said this shall commenced from the date of his arrest.
He, therefore, ordered all security agencies in and outside the country, including the INTERPOL, to arrest Mamman anywhere he is sighted and handed over to the Nigerian Correctional Services for his jail term.
Also based on the application by counsel for the prosecution, which was not challenged by the ex-minister’s lawyer, Mohammed Ahmed, Justice Omotosho also ordered the final forfeiture of Mamman’s two properties located in choiced areas of Abuja and monies in different currencies recovered by the anti-graft agencies.
The judge further ordered that the differential amount between the monies and assets recovered from Mamman and the sum of N22 billion the prosecution was able to establish during the trial, out of the N33.8 billion allegedly siphoned from the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects, be refunded by the convict.
Justice Omotosho had, on May 7, convicted Mamman on the 12-count charge preferred against him by the EFCC and reserved Wednesday, May 13 for sentencing following his absence in court and a warrant of arrest against him.
The judge held In the judgement that the prosecution, EFCC was able to prove its case against the former minister beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.
The judge held that, the prosecution has established that, at least, N22 billion was siphoned by the defendant and his cronies, saying that, “This is sufficient to sustain the charge. Consequently, the defendant is hereby convicted of Count 1 of the charge.
“The defence did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the evidence of the prosecution. Upon the unchallenged evidence of the prosecution, the court hereby convicts the defendant of Count 1 of the charge,” Justice Omotosho held and added that Mamman’s act of diverting funds meant for other purposes such as the Zungeru and Mambila Hydroelectric Power Project to his own use was quite an eyesore.
Justice Omotosho observed that the burden on the prosecution to establish the guilt of a defendant is quite a heavy burden to discharge, which the EFCC had been able to do beyond reasonable doubt and added that, some of the EFCC’s witnesses gave evidence on how monies budgeted for the power project were moved under disguised on the instruction of the ex-minister.
“The sheer greed of the defendant and his comrades in crime is nothing but a downright shameful thing. For a defendant, who held a critical position such as Ministry of Power, rather than being concerned with creating a legacy of solving the epileptic power supply in the country, the defendant began siphoning and converting monies for serious projects into private pockets.
“The defendant was living large at the expense of ordinary Nigerians who had suffered from the consequence of his malfeasance. Little wonder that Nigeria has remained in darkness now,” the judge said.
“In final analysis, the prosecution has established the 12-count charge against the defendant beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, he is hereby convicted as charged,” Justice Omotosho held.
The judge lambasted the convicted former minister of living large when he was Minister at the expense of Nigerians, saying that his action was part of what is keeping Nigerians in darkness now.
Shortly after Mamman was found guilty of the 12-counts charge and convicted accordingly, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN prayed the court to issue a warrant for the arrest of the convict, who was absent in court when the judgement was delivered without any reason.
Oyedepo, who is also the Director Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), said the law gives the court power to impose sentence when a defendant is arrested or surrendered himself to court.
Oyedepo, while urging the court for the warrant of arrest, said, the defense failed to provide credible evidence, like a medical report to back up the claim that the convict is sick.
When the case was called earlier, counsel to the convict, Mohammed Ahmed told the court that he had no access to the his client since Tuesday that, he got the notice of the judgement.
He however, begged the court for an adjournment to enable his client present himself and that, if he failed to present himself at the next adjourned date, the court can them issue a warrant for his arrest
But when the judge asked Ahmed when he felt the defendant could be contacted to appear in court, the lawyer said he would contact the ex-minister’s personal assistant.
He said, one of the associates of the convict informed him that the former minister is sick and this, the reason for his absence in court.
Justice Omotosho ordered that the ex-minister should be produced in court in the next adjourned date by the EFCC for sentencing and then adjourned the matter till May 13 for the defendant to be sentenced, having been found guilty as charged.
The Commission, in July 2024, arraigned Mamman on alleged money laundering and conspiracy with officials at the ministry and some private companies to “indirectly convert” the sum of N33.8 billion meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.
The former minister, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and EFCC, in proving its case, called 17 witnesses and also tendered 43 exhibits against the defendant before closing its case.
