The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison for stealing ₦33.8 billion public funds.
The court, in the judgment that was delivered by Justice James Omotosho, convicted and sentenced him on all the 12 -count fraud and money laundering charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Whereas he was handed seven years each on 10 counts of the charge, it jailed him three years and two years on counts four and five of the charge.
Justice Omotosho held that the sentence should run consecutively without option of fine except on count four which he allowed the payment of N10m fine.
Furthermore, the court ordered the forfeiture of various foreign currencies that were recovered from the convict, as well as four choice properties in Abuja that were traced to him.
It will be recalled that the court had on Thursday, convicted the former minister in absentia.
Justice Omotosho said he was satisfied that the anti-graft agency had successfully established the former Minister’s culpability beyond reasonable doubt.
He 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 totaling.
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.
VANGUARD NEWS
