A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday convicted a former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, on 12 counts of fraud and money laundering.
The charges were preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In a judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho, the court said it was satisfied that the anti-graft agency had successfully established the former minister’s culpability beyond reasonable doubt.
The Federal High Court court convicted him on all grounds of the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/273/2024.
The ex-minister, who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was found complicit in the illegal diversion of public funds totalling about N33.8 billion.
The court found that he made a cash payment of $655,700 (N200 million) for landed property in Abuja, without recourse to a financial institution.
He was also found guilty of criminal breach of trust in relation to funds released by the federal government for the Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant projects.
According to the court, most of the funds were siphoned through Bureau de Change operators, BDCs, who converted the money into foreign currencies and handed it over to the defendant.
“The evidence of the prosecution is overwhelming as against the scanty and almost absent defence of the defendant.
“The defendant did not offer any credible evidence to rebut the prosecution’s case,” Justice Omotosho held.
