A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment after securing his conviction on all 12 counts of money laundering and fraud brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment, sentencing Mamman to seven years imprisonment each on 10 counts, while counts four and five attracted three years and two years respectively.
The court ruled that the sentences would run consecutively without an option of fine, except on count four where the convict was given the option of a N10 million fine.
Justice Omotosho also ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies recovered from the former minister as well as four high-value properties in Abuja linked to him.
Mamman was arraigned by the EFCC in July 2024 on a 12-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and conspiracy involving ministry officials and some private companies to indirectly convert N33.8 billion meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
The former minister pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the trial, the EFCC presented 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits before the court to support its case.
On May 7, the court convicted Mamman in absentia after he failed to appear for proceedings. Justice Omotosho held that the anti-graft agency had successfully established the former minister’s culpability beyond reasonable doubt and subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, Mamman’s counsel, Mohammed Ahmed, informed the court that he did not know the whereabouts of his client, adding that efforts to reach him through his telephone lines were unsuccessful.
Following the sentencing, the judge directed all security agencies to work with INTERPOL to ensure the arrest of the former minister, noting that the prison term would commence from the date of his arrest.
