By Sunday Apah
Saleh Mamman, a former Minister of Power who served under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, collapsed on Thursday at the Federal High Court in Abuja during his arraignment for an alleged N33 billion fraud.
Mamman was brought into the court in soaked clothes, with his lawyer explaining to Justice James Omotosho that he had collapsed on the court premises and was revived by medical personnel just before the hearing began.
His defense lawyer, Femi Ate (SAN), informed the court that Mamman was served with the charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission only after he had been resuscitated.
Ate requested an adjournment until Monday due to the ex-minister’s condition, but Justice Omotoso declined, citing a full docket for Monday.
Instead of adjourning, the judge granted a one-hour recess for Mamman to recover, although Mamman insisted that he was well enough for the proceedings to continue.
Subsequently, Mamman was arraigned on 12 counts of money laundering amounting to N22 billion. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The EFCC prosecutor, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), requested the judge to set a trial date, while the defense counsel mentioned that a bail application had been submitted.
The judge noted that the bail application was not yet before the court and scheduled it for a hearing the following day (today, Friday).
In the meantime, Justice Omotoso ordered that Mamman be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the bail application hearing scheduled for the next day.
Mamman, who was a minister under President Buhari from 2019 to 2021, faced allegations of colluding with ministry staff responsible for the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects to misappropriate approximately N33 billion.
