The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former Minister of Power Saleh Mamman to a combined 75 years in prison over a ₦33.8 billion fraud case connected to the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric power projects.
Justice James Omotosho delivered the judgment after finding Mamman guilty on all 12 counts of conspiracy and money laundering filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The court ruled that the prison terms attached to each count would run consecutively, resulting in a total sentence of 75 years. Since Mamman was convicted in absentia, the judge ordered that the sentence would begin once he is arrested.
Security agencies were also directed to apprehend the former minister wherever he is located, while all recovered assets and funds linked to the case were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government.
The court further instructed Mamman to refund the remaining balance from the ₦22 billion traced to funds allocated for the Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric projects.
According to the prosecution, the former minister conspired with ministry officials and private firms to divert billions of naira originally meant for the execution of the power projects.
Mamman was first arraigned in July 2024 on a 12-count charge involving conspiracy and money laundering, to which he pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, the EFCC presented 17 witnesses and submitted 43 exhibits as evidence before the court. Mamman later filed a no-case submission, claiming the prosecution had failed to establish enough evidence against him, but the court dismissed the application and ordered him to open his defence.
The judgment concludes a major corruption trial that followed Mamman’s arrest and detention in 2021.
