Olushola Omogbehin
Former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, has been sentenced to 75 years’ imprisonment.
He was sentenced in absentia by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court on Wednesday over a N33.8bn money laundering and fraud case initiated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Convicted on all 12 counts filed against him, Justice Omotosho ordered that the prison terms would run consecutively and not concurrently, bringing the total jail term to 75 years.
The judge sentence was each on counts 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 without an option of fine.
On count four, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with an option of a N10m fine and two years’ imprisonment on count five with no option of fine.
Holding that Mamman’s absence in court during the judgment was a deliberate attempt to frustrate the administration of justice, the court agreed that sentencing could go on despite the defendant’s absence
This was sequel to provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Thereafter, Justice Omotosho ordered all security agencies, including Interpol, to arrest Mamman wherever he is found and hand him over to the Nigerian Correctional Service to begin serving his sentence.
The court ordered as well, the final forfeiture of the funds, foreign currencies, and properties linked to the convict, including properties traced to him in Abuja.
According to the court, the jail term would start from the date of his arrest.
