A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to a total of 75 years imprisonment over a N33.8 billion money laundering and fraud case.
The former minister was found guilty on all 12 counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice James Omotosho, who delivered the judgment, sentenced Mamman to seven years imprisonment on 10 of the counts, while he received three years and two years respectively on counts four and five.
The judge ruled that the prison terms would run consecutively and without the option of a fine, except for count four, where the convict was given an option of a N10 million fine.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of foreign currencies recovered from the former minister, alongside four high-value properties in Abuja linked to him.
Mamman was arraigned by the EFCC in July 2024 on allegations bordering on money laundering and conspiracy involving officials of the Ministry of Power and some private firms.
According to the anti-graft agency, the funds — amounting to N33.8 billion — were allegedly diverted from allocations meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/273/2024, initially saw Mamman plead not guilty to the charges.
During the trial, the EFCC presented 17 witnesses and tendered 43 exhibits before closing its case.
On May 7, the court convicted the former minister in absentia after he failed to appear for proceedings.
Justice Omotosho held that the prosecution had proven its case against the former minister beyond a reasonable doubt and subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest.
At Wednesday’s proceedings, Mamman’s counsel, Mohammed Ahmed, told the court that he was unaware of his client’s whereabouts, adding that attempts to reach him through his phone lines had been unsuccessful.
Following the sentencing, the court directed security agencies to work with Interpol to ensure the arrest of the former minister.
The judge further ruled that the prison sentence would begin from the date of Mamman’s eventual arrest.