The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, May 7, convicted a former Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, on a 12-count fraud and money laundering charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, said it was satisfied that the anti-graft agency had successfully established the former Minister’s culpability beyond reasonable doubt.
The court convicted him on all grounds of the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/273/2024.
Mamman, who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was found complicit in the illegal diversion of public funds totalling about ₦33.8 billion.
The court found that he made a cash payment of $655,700 (equivalent to ₦200 million) for landed property in Abuja, without recourse to a financial institution.
He was also found guilty of criminal breach of trust in relation to funds released by the federal government for the Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant projects.
The court noted that most of the funds were siphoned through Bureau de Change operators (BDCs), who converted the money into foreign currencies and handed it over to the defendant.
“The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming as against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant.
“The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case,” Justice Omotosho held.
The trial judge lamented that the defendant, as Minister of Power, was not bothered about leaving a lasting legacy.
“Rather than creating a legacy to tackle the epileptic power supply in the country, the defendant was living large at the expense of ordinary citizens.
“Little wonder that Nigerians have remained in darkness till today,” the judge added.
Meanwhile, the defendant was absent when he was convicted by the court.
Consequently, the court deferred his sentence, even as the EFCC applied for a warrant of arrest to be issued against him.
A lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed, who announced his appearance for the defendant, told the court that since last Tuesday when the notice of the scheduled judgment was issued, the defendant’s whereabouts had remained unknown.
He said the defendant’s personal assistant later disclosed that he was sick.
The defence lawyer’s spirited efforts to persuade the court to defer the judgment to a later date failed.
The trial judge referenced news items indicating that the defendant had been actively involved in political activities, having purchased a form to contest the governorship election in Taraba State.
On his part, the EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, urged the court to proceed with the judgment, insisting there was no reasonable justification for the defendant’s absence.
“My Lord should go ahead. If the judgment is in his favour, we know what to do. If it is against him, we also know what to do,” the prosecution counsel added.
Mamman was arrested in 2021, about four months after he was removed from office by ex-President Buhari.
The EFCC produced 17 witnesses who testified before the court and tendered 43 exhibits before closing its case.
The agency, among other things, alleged that he conspired with staff members of the ministry to divert about ₦22bn that was meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.
The anti-graft agency said its investigations revealed that the suspects used the funds to acquire choice assets, both within and outside the country.