Former president Buhari's minister of power, Mamman Saleh accused of 33bn fraud collapses in court

 There was a mild drama at a Federal High Court in Abuja on the 11th of July 2024, as the former minister for power in the Muhammadu Buhari's led administration collapsed in court before

his case was called up on by the court.

The former minister who served in office from 2019 to 2021, is standing trial over a 12-court bothering of money laundering of up to 33 billion naira while he was in office. On May 10 2021 he was arrested and detained at the anti-graft headquarters in Abuja. On September 1st 2021, Buhari sacked Mamman. Mamman was accused of conspiring with the staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro electric power projects to divert about 22bn Naira. The investigations uncovered a lot of properties both in Nigeria and abroad owned by the suspects, while millions of Naira and dollars has been recovered.

Shortly before he was called for arraignment this morning,Femi Ate, SAN, the former minister's counsel told the presiding Judge, Justice Omotosho James, that his client had collapsed.

    "Upon being brought to the court premises, he collapsed and had to be resuscitated by the medical personnel of the federal high court", Ate stated.

He said after his client was resuscitated, he was served with the charge. The senior lawyer also revealed that he sought the understanding of Olumide Fusika who is the efcc's counsel in the matter for an adjournment so that the arraignment could be done on Monday next week when his client would have been okay.

The Judge however mentioned that due to the workload in the court dockets, the arraignment could be only fixed by September ending. The former Minister's counsel then withdrew the oral application for an adjournment. Fusika said he had just filed an amended charge earlier following a mistake on the defendant name and pleaded to the court that the fresh charge be read to Mamman to take his plea, but Justice Omotosho disagreed with him.

However, the Judge asked Mamman if he was fit to take his plea today, and he responded in the affirmative. The former minister told the court that he collapsed outside the courtroom due to the drugs that he took when he had not eaten, and while he was outside the courtroom waiting to be called, his blood pressure dropped.

However, Mamman said he was fit to continue with the arraignment .

 "It can happen to anyone", the Judge said

The former minister said that he had called to the attention of his lawyer to the error made by the Economic and financial crimes commission EFCC on the name in the charge served on him.

 " I was complaining about the name that it was not my own", he said.

Justice Omotosho then stepped down the arraignment till 1pm today.

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