A Nigerian court on Wednesday sentenced former power minister Saleh Mamman to 75 years in prison after convicting him of laundering 33.8 billion naira ($24.71 million), in what anti-corruption authorities described as a significant victory against graft in Africa’s most populous nation.
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja handed down the sentence after finding Mamman guilty on all 12 counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC said Mamman was convicted for laundering funds through private companies, money prosecutors argued were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to government-financed hydroelectric projects, including the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Station power plants.
According to the anti-graft agency, the funds were intended for critical electricity infrastructure projects aimed at improving Nigeria’s power supply.
Mamman, who served as Nigeria’s minister of power in 2019 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, was sentenced in absentia in accordance with Nigerian law.
The court also ordered Nigerian and international security agencies to arrest Mamman and transfer him to correctional authorities to begin serving his sentence.
Nigeria has long struggled with high-profile corruption cases involving public officials, despite repeated anti-corruption campaigns and prosecutions by the EFCC. The case against Mamman centred on alleged diversion of public funds earmarked for major hydroelectric projects in a country where electricity shortages remain a persistent challenge for millions of citizens.
Source: Reuters
