N33bn Fraud: Court Grants Mamman Saleh, Fmr. Minister For Power, N10bn Bail

By Akinwale Kasali

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted Former Minister for Power, Saleh Mamman, bail to the tune of N10 billion.

Saleh was remanded in Kuje prison custody over his alleged complicity in a N33 billion fraud while he was in office.

He is answering to a 12-count charge.

Justice Omotosho held that the sureties must be owners of landed properties within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, with a minimum valuation of N750 million.

It ordered the sureties to submit their three-year tax clearance certificate and depose to an affidavit of means, adding that both the defendant and the sureties must submit certified copies of their bank statements with their recent passport photographs.

More so, the trial judge ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport to the Registrar of the court.

He held that the Registrar must verify all the documents before the defendant is released from custody.

In the alternative, the Court said the sureties could submit a bank guarantee or bond in the sum of N10bn.

It held that the defendant should remain in prison custody, pending the perfection of all the bail conditions.

The case was subsequently adjourned until September 25 for a hearing.

Saleh who served in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, was arrested in 2021, about four months after he was removed from office by Buhari.

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.