The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted former Minister of Power Saleh Mamman on 12 counts of money laundering involving N33.8 billion and ordered his arrest after he failed to appear for judgment
Saleh Mamman Convicted in N33.8bn Money Laundering Case as Court Orders Arrest
The Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday convicted former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, on a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering involving N33.8 billion.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the prosecution, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In a strongly worded judgment, the court criticised the former minister over what it described as extravagant living funded by public resources while millions of Nigerians continued to suffer poor electricity supply despite massive spending in the power sector.
The judge said the actions of public officials accused of diverting funds meant for national development contributed significantly to the country’s lingering infrastructure crisis and widespread darkness.
The court drama deepened after Justice Omotosho issued a warrant for Mamman’s arrest following his failure to appear in court for the judgment without any official explanation.
When the case was called, defence counsel, Mohammed Ahmed, told the court that all attempts to reach his client since Tuesday had failed. According to him, an associate informed the legal team that the former minister was ill and unable to attend proceedings.
However, prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, urged the court to reject the explanation, insisting that no medical report or documentary evidence was presented to support the illness claim.
Justice Omotosho agreed with the prosecution and directed security agencies to immediately locate, arrest and produce the convicted former minister before the court for sentencing.
The court subsequently fixed May 5 for sentencing.
Mamman, who served as Minister of Power under former President Muhammadu Buhari from August 2019 until his removal in September 2021, is being prosecuted over alleged diversion and laundering of public funds during his tenure.
The conviction marks a major milestone in the high-profile corruption trial that has drawn national attention over accountability in Nigeria’s troubled power sector.
In December last year, Justice Omotosho had dismissed a no-case submission filed by the former minister, ruling at the time that the EFCC had established a prima facie case strong enough to require him to open his defence.
With the conviction now secured, attention has shifted to the sentencing phase as anti-corruption observers closely watch the outcome of one of the country’s most prominent public office fraud prosecutions.
