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By Correspondent in Abuja.
A dramatic chapter in Nigeria’s anti-corruption war unfolded on Wednesday day as the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment in absentia over a multi-billion naira fraud linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho convicted the former minister on all 12 counts of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), declaring that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The court held that Mamman’s repeated absence from proceedings was a calculated attempt to frustrate justice, insisting that the law empowered the court to proceed with sentencing despite his non-appearance.
“The defendant cannot claim miscarriage of justice,” Justice Omotosho ruled, while agreeing with the EFCC’s lead counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, permits sentencing in absentia under such circumstances.
In a judgment that sent shockwaves through political and legal circles, the court sentenced Mamman to seven years imprisonment each on Counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 without an option of fine. He was also handed a three-year jail term with an option of N10 million fine on Count 4, and two years imprisonment without option of fine on Count 5.
Justice Omotosho ordered that all the sentences run consecutively, bringing the total prison term to 75 years.
The sentence, the judge said, would commence from the date of the convict’s arrest.
In a further blow to the embattled former minister, the court directed security agencies within and outside Nigeria, including INTERPOL, to immediately arrest and hand him over to the Nigerian Correctional Service wherever he is found.
The court also granted the prosecution’s application for the final forfeiture of two high-value Abuja properties and huge sums of money in various currencies recovered from the former minister by anti-graft investigators.
Justice Omotosho further ordered Mamman to refund the outstanding balance between the recovered assets and the N22 billion allegedly traced to him during trial proceedings, from the total N33.8 billion said to have been diverted from the hydroelectric power projects.
Our correspondent recalls that the former minister had earlier been convicted on May 7 after the court found overwhelming evidence against him in the amended 12-count charge bordering on money laundering and diversion of public funds.
The case is regarded as one of the most significant corruption convictions involving a former cabinet member in recent years, underscoring renewed efforts by anti-graft authorities to tackle large-scale financial crimes in the country.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
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