N33.8bn Fraud: Ex-power Minister Mamman bags 75 years jail.

[Jubilee58]

This news was reported by Daily Trust.The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced the former Minister of Power, Mr Saleh Mamman, to 75 years imprisonment in absentia over N33.8 billion money laundering offences. Justice James Omotosho, who convicted Mamman in all the 12 counts preferred against him by the EFCC, ordered that the sentence shall run consecutively and not concurrently. Justice Omotosho said that the absence of the ex-minister in court today (Thursday) and on the last adjourned date was a deliberate attempt to stop the wheel of justice. The judge, who agreed with the EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, that though the defendant was not in court, the provisions of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, gave the court the power to proceed with the sentencing. The judge held that Mamman cannot claim to have suffered a miscarriage of justice. The judge consequently sentenced the convict to seven years imprisonment in Counts one, two, three, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, 11 and 12 without option of fine. Justice Omotosho also sentenced him to three year-jail term in Count 4 with an option of fine of a N10 million and two years’ imprisonment in Count 5 without option of fine. The judge, who ordered that the sentence shall run consecutively, said this shall commenced from the date of his arrest. He, therefore, ordered all security agencies in and outside the country, including the INTERPOL, to arrest Mammn anywhere he is sighted and handed over to the Nigerian Correctional Services for his jail term. Also based on the application by counsel for the prosecution, which was not challenged by the ex-minister’s lawyer, Mohammed Ahmed, Justice Omotosho also ordered the final forfeiture of Mamman’s two properties located in choiced areas of Abuja and monies in different currencies recovered by the anti-graft agencies. The judge further ordered that the differential amount between the monies and assets recovered from Mamman and the sum of N22 billion the prosecution was able to establish during the trial, out of the N33. 8 billion allegedly siphoned from the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects, be refunded by the convict.

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There are so many persons who have luted public funds in Nigeria, and if they can all be prosecuted, people handling public offices will definitely do the right thing.

This prosecution shouldn't be done for political reasons, but on the platform to enhance accountability while in public office.
What is your take on this?

[Hypnotizer]

And this is coming in a very faster way just after the EX minister purchased the running ticket for the governor seat in his state, Taraba! The Nigerian law system seems to be controlled from what I see.

Why is Yahaya Bello not sentenced or punished for his own crimes during his tenure as the governor of Kogi state? He has also reportedly pick up a ticket to contest for a senate position in the next election, just imagine that..

Even if he wasn’t sentenced to this long years imprisonment, I wonder if the same people he stole funds meant to build dam for them would still vote him as their governor!

But wait, all these other count that have options of fine if he agrees to pay the fine, how many years is remaining in the senescence then?

[Karl_3000]

According to what I read about it just few minutes ago, the man is on the run and hiding. He did not show up in court.

When the matter was in court, he bought governor form to contest for governor. Very wicked man.

I hope it will not be like the common ones that the case will die down which we have seen very well in Nigeria. He has been sent to 75 years in prison. He is a wicked and greedy human being, including his conspirators if there is any.

[9ja Amaka]

I have a lot of questions on this judgement,, firstly the person in question is on the run and I will not be surprised if he is never caught to come serve his jail term. Secondly I hope this judgment is not politically motivated,  because the only politicians that get punished in Nigeria are those that are not woth the ruling party. Aside from all this, I think it's a good one that someone that stole public funds is being brought to book, because if this is dome to all other politicians without minding which party they are in, it will be really good for Nigeria and it will also stop all these politicians from stealing public funds and in returns it will help in the development of the country.

[Roseline492]

If the man has fled from the country before the judgement there is no way Nigeria would find him because is mostly difficult for a foreign country to start involving themselves in Nigeria matter except the situation is also something that would give them a challenge, so is possible he must have ran to those small and beautiful country that Nigeria is not going to find him but however it would be best to try and locate the particular country he is so that they can see how they could cooperate with them to get him. Imagine the kind of money a whole minister in the country defrauded the nation, actually he deserves the jail time they gave him.