A Federal High Court in Abuja handed down a stiff 75-year prison sentence to former Power Minister Saleh Mamman on Thursday. He was convicted in absentia on 12 counts of money laundering involving N33.8 billion.
Justice James Omotosho ordered the sentences to run one after another, not simultaneously. He rejected any suggestion that Mamman's absence amounted to a denial of justice.
The judge noted that Mamman skipped court deliberately on multiple occasions. His no-show, according to Omotosho, was a calculated bid to obstruct the legal process.
Omotosho upheld the EFCC's position that court rules allowed the trial to proceed without the defendant present. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act provides that framework, he noted.
On 10 separate counts, Mamman received seven years each without any fine option. Counts 4 and 5 attracted different penalties entirely.
Count 4 carried a three-year term with a possibility of paying N10 million instead. Count 5 drew a two-year sentence with no financial alternative available.
All sentences will start running from when authorities first arrested him, the judge ordered. He directed that the consecutive nature means the ex-minister cannot serve them at the same time.
Security agencies worldwide must now hunt for Mamman, Omotosho instructed. INTERPOL and Nigerian police are expected to apprehend him wherever located and transport him to prison.
Beyond imprisonment, the court permanently forfeited two of Mamman's choice properties in Abuja. Bank accounts holding various currencies that investigators recovered also go to the state.
Prosecutors successfully proved during trial that N22 billion was stolen from the Zungeru and Mambilla hydroelectric projects. The original allegation covered N33.8 billion in total.
Mamman must now refund the difference between what was recovered and what the court established was stolen. Omotosho's ruling left no room for debate on this restitution order.
Lead prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, had pushed for the harsh sentence without challenge. Mohammed Ahmed, representing the absent defendant, offered no counter-argument on forfeiture matters.
The May 7 conviction paved the way for Thursday's sentencing hearing. Omotosho had found sufficient evidence against Mamman on all amended charges at that time.
Mamman's legal team did not dispute the prosecution's asset recovery application before the bench. Their silence effectively conceded that point to the court.
