Saleh Mamman.Old Picture of Sealeh in 2020
Ex-power minister Saleh Mamman collapses outside courtroom amidst N33 billion fraud allegations.
Saleh Mamman, the former Minister of Power, collapsed outside the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has slammed him with a 12-count charge for money laundering amounting to N33.8 billion.
Before the court proceedings began, Mamman's lawyer, Femi Ate, informed Judge James Omotosho that his client had fainted due to ill health. When the hearing resumed, Mamman, with his clothes partly soaked, walked into the courtroom and stepped into the dock.
The judge asked Mamman why he was sweating or if it had rained. Mamman replied that water had been poured on him. EFCC counsel Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika informed the court about an incident outside the courtroom and said he had discussed Mamman’s health with Ate.
Ate explained that Mamman had collapsed upon arriving at the court premises and had to be resuscitated by the court's medical personnel. He mentioned that his client was served with the charge after being revived and requested an adjournment due to Mamman's health. However, the judge stated that the arraignment could only be fixed for the end of September due to a backlog of cases, leading Ate to withdraw the request.
Olumide-Fusika then requested that a fresh charge be read to Mamman due to a mistake in the defendant's name. The judge asked Mamman if he was fit to take his plea, and Mamman affirmed, explaining that he had fainted because he took medicine on an empty stomach, causing his blood pressure to drop.
Mamman assured the court that he was fit to continue with the arraignment, and the judge scheduled it for 1 pm. Mamman, appointed minister by former President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2019 and sacked in September 2021, was arrested by the EFCC in May 2023 over an alleged N22 billion fraud. The EFCC alleges that Mamman conspired with officials at the power ministry and private companies to divert N33.8 billion meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.
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