JUST IN: COURT GRANTS EX-MINISTER OF POWER, MAMMAN, N10 BILLION BAIL
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Saleh Mamman, the former minister of power, was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday. The bail amount was N10 billion, with two sureties contributing the same amount.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has filed 12 counts of money laundering against Mamman totaling N33 billion.
Judge James Omotosho’s decision for the court said that the sureties had to be the owners of landed properties in the Federal Capital Territory valued at least N750 million.
In addition to requiring the sureties to submit an affidavit of means and their three-year tax clearance certificates, the court also mandated that the defendant and the sureties provide certified copies of their bank statements along with their most recent passport photos.
Alternatively, the court allowed the sureties to present a N10 billion bank guarantee or bond.
In addition, the court mandated that the defendant turn over his foreign passport to the court’s registrar, who will need to confirm all the paperwork before the prisoner can be allowed to leave custody.
In addition, Omotosho mandated that the defendant be held in jail until all bail requirements were fulfilled.
After that, the court postponed the hearing until September 25, 2024.
Mamman entered his plea on Thursday after his attorney, Femi Ate (SAN), told the court that a bail application had been submitted following the matter’s standing. However, the judge stated that the application was not yet in the court file and remanded the former minister in jail custody so that he could present it to the court today (Friday).
After reading the 12 charges that the EFCC had brought against him, Mamman entered a not-guilty plea.
The ex-minister’s bail application, dated July 11, 2024, was hinged on the provisions of Sections 35 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as sections 158 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015.
The defendant told the court that he was on administrative bail for over two years, saying he never violated any of the conditions the anti-graft agency handed to him.
He prayed the court to exercise its discretion in his favour as he pledged to always be available for his trial.
He also said that he had reliable persons who would stand surety for him and also assured the court that he would not interfere with or influence any of the witnesses billed to testify against him in the matter.
EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr. A. O. Mohammed, did not raise any objection to the defendant’s request for bail but asked the court to impose conditions that would warrant the defendant to attend his trial.
Mamman, who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested in 2021, about four months after he was removed from office.
EFCC, among other things, alleged that he conspired with staff members of the ministry to divert about N22bn that was meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.
The anti-graft agency said its investigations revealed that the suspects used the funds to acquire choice assets, both within and outside the country.
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