A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, ordered former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, to be remanded in Kuje prison pending the consideration of his bail application.
Presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho gave the order after the court resumed Mamman’s arraignment on money laundering charge which was earlier stepped down by the judge.
Mamman had pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
EFCC had filed a 12-count money laundering charge against him.
The former minister was alleged to have committed money laundering offences to the tune of N33billion.
But he pleaded not guilty to all the counts after they were read to him while in the dock.
EFCC counsel, Olumide Fusika (SAN), sought a date for the commencement of trial.
But defendant’s lawyer, Femi Ate (SAN), informed the court that he filed a bail application after the matter was stood down earlier in the morning.
“I have filed a motion on notice this morning shortly after the proceeding was stood down,” he said.
The judge, however, replied that the matter was stood down to take the defendant’s plea and not bail application.
The defendant’s lawyer urged the court to hear his application.
“I don’t have it before me,” Justice Omotosho said in response to Ate’s plea.
The defense counsel prayed the court to allow him to return the next day to argue the bail application.
The prosecution counsel admitted that he was served with the bail application around 12:30pm, adding that he has no objection to the court decision of the day for bail application.
After listening to their submissions, the judge adjourned the matter till Friday July 12 for the hearing of the bail application.
Omotosho also ordered that the former minister be remanded in Kuje correctional center.
The former minister served under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2021.
On May 10, 2021, he was arrested and detained at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
Buhari had September 1, 2021, sacked Mamman and the then Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, in what was called a cabinet restructuring.
Mamman was accused of conspiring with staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects to divert about N22 billion.
Investigations uncovered property in Nigeria and overseas allegedly linked to the suspects, while millions of naira and dollars had reportedly been recovered.
