The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment after finding him guilty of fraud and money laundering involving about ₦33.8 billion.
Justice James Omotosho convicted Mamman on all 12 charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The court handed him seven years imprisonment on 10 counts, while he received three years and two years respectively on counts four and five. The sentences are to run consecutively, with no option of fine except on count four where he can pay ₦10 million.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies and four Abuja properties linked to the fraud.
Justice Omotosho said the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, stating, “The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming as against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant.”
He added, “The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case.”
The court found Mamman guilty of paying $655,700 cash for a property in Abuja without using a financial institution. He was also convicted over funds diverted from the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant projects.
The judge said, “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,” adding, “Little wonder that Nigerians have remained in darkness till today.”
