How Former Power Minister Saleh Mamman Spent 20m From Mambilla Project Funds To Lodge In Abuja Hotel
On Wednesday during the trial at the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, the cross-examination of the third prosecution witness, Colonel Adebisi Adesanya (retired) was conducted.
The cross-examination followed the testimony of the witness on Tuesday, in which he testified that the former minister spent the sum of N20m from the fund earmarked for the Mambilla Hydro Power project on payment for lodging in a resort.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Mamman on a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy to commit money laundering to the tune of N33.8 billion.
The witness, the Chief Security Officer and owner of Sami Court Resort Limited, where Mamman allegedly paid N20m for one year of lodging, said, while being led in evidence on Tuesday by the prosecution counsel, A.O. Mohammed: "Sami Court Resort Limited is a service apartment where people come to lodge and stay for a long time, one month, two months, a year.
"You only book in with your clothes, then any other thing is serviced by the apartment."
The witness added that he was invited for questioning by the EFCC on September 6, 2023, regarding inflows from accommodation and lodging into the UBA account of the resort over the period spanning 2019 to 2021 and identified Exhibit PWC as the invoice issued to Mamman by the resort after his payment of N20m for lodging, covering the period between August 30, 2021, and August 30, 2022.
"This is our company's invoice. We issued it after the payment of N20m with respect to lodging and accommodation for Engineer Saleh Mamman," he said.
Giving a breakdown of the lodging inflows from Mamman as contained in "Exhibit PWC," he testified: "On September 6, 2021, the inflow was N5m, deposited by Golden Bond Nigeria Limited for the period covering 30th August 2021 to 30th August 2022 and the name of the lodger is Engineer Saleh Mamman.
"The second column is on January 23, 2022, being N5m payment deposited by Mintedge Nigeria Limited to cover from 30th August 2021 to 30th August 2022.
"The third column is March 9, 2022, and the amount is N2.5m payment by Abdullahi Suleiman and it is to cover the period of 30th August 2021 to 30th August, 2022 for Engineer Saleh Mamman.
"And the last one is on May 10, 2022, and the amount is N7.5m, deposited by A.I.J Global Tools Limited over the period covering 30th August 2021 to 30th August 2022 and the name of the lodger is Engineer Saleh Mamman."
The witness revealed further that the payments by Mamman were just for one-bedroom rental, all made through the resort's UBA account.
Justice Omotosho afterwards the case to January 13, 2025.
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