EFCC arrests fleeing ex-power minister Saleh Mamman after 75-year jail sentence over N22bn fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested Saleh Mamman, former minister of power, in the Rigasa area of Kaduna state after weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Mamman was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday after allegedly going into hiding following his conviction by a federal high court in Abuja over corruption charges linked to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
Speaking to journalists after the arrest, Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the EFCC, said James Omotosho, a judge, had, on May 7, convicted Mamman on all 12 counts bordering on the diversion of funds meant for the power projects.
According to Olukoyede, the court held that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and subsequently convicted the former minister in absentia.
“For us, getting the convict to serve his jail terms is extremely important in view of the seriousness with which we are tackling corrupt practices,” he said.
“It is this resolve that made us deploy intelligence to tracking and arresting the convict. We will process his transmission to the correctional centre accordingly.”
In his judgment, Omotosho held that the EFCC established that Mamman and his associates diverted not less than N22 billion earmarked for the execution of critical power projects.
The judge also ruled that the defence failed to present credible evidence capable of discrediting the prosecution’s case.
Omotosho described the diversion of public funds meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric projects as a gross abuse of public trust, adding that Mamman used proxy companies and associates to siphon funds meant for critical infrastructure.
Mamman served as minister of power between 2019 and 2021 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Following his conviction, the court ordered that he be arrested and produced before it on May 13 for sentencing. However, he failed to appear in court, prompting the judge to proceed with sentencing in absentia.
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 sentenced to three years imprisonment on count 4 with an option of N10 million fine and two years imprisonment on count 5 without an option of fine.
The sentences are to run consecutively, bringing the total jail term to 75 years.
Mamman is also facing another corruption trial before the federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Abuja over alleged N31 billion fraud.
On May 11, Maryanne Anenih, the presiding judge, issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court in the case involving him and seven others.
