The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to 75 years’ imprisonment.
Mr Mamman’s sentence is in response to the diversion of funds meant for Nigeria’s major hydropower projects.
The judge, James Omotosho, convicted and sentenced Mr Mamman on 12 charges of N33.8 billion fraud, attracting varying years of imprisonment that are to run consecutively.
The judge sentenced the convict to seven years’ imprisonment on counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, without option of fine.
Justice Omotosho also sentenced him to a three-year jail term on Count 4 with an option of a N10 million fine and two years’ imprisonment on Count 5 without the option of a fine.
The judge ordered that the sentences attracted by each of the 12 counts run consecutively, not concurrently. A concurrent term would have amounted to seven years’ imprisonment, the highest imposed for any of the counts.
Because the sentences will run consecutively, Mr Mamman, 68, faces a total prison term of 75 years.
The former minister was sentenced in absentia on Wednesday. Mr Omotosho earlier found the convict guilty in a judgement delivered on 7 May.
The former official was also absent from court when the guilty verdict was delivered, prompting the judge to order his arrest and set Wednesday (today) for judgement.
But as of Wednesday, the authorities had yet to arrest the former minister, leaving the judge with no option but to proceed with sentencing.
In his sentencing ruling on Wednesday, the judge ordered that the jail term shall take effect from the day the convict is arrested.
He also directed all security agencies to arrest Mr Mamman wherever he is found.
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The court further ordered the forfeiture of all the funds and properties recovered from the former minister to the federal government. It also ordered him to refund the outstanding balance from the alleged N22 billion linked to the Mambilla and Zungeru projects.
The case against former Minister of Power, Mr Mamman, stemmed from his tenure between 2019 and 2021 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, during which he oversaw Nigeria’s power sector and major federal hydroelectric projects, including the Mambilla and Zungeru power projects.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said he conspired with ministry officials and private companies to divert funds allocated to the projects.
