The first prosecution witness (PW1) in the trial-within-trial of the former Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the defendant voluntarily made confessional statements to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the presence of his lawyer.
Testifying before Justice James Omotosho on Tuesday, the witness, Mr. Abubakar Kwaido, an EFCC investigator, said Mamman had authorised his legal counsel to write the statement on his behalf due to ill health.
The former minister is standing trial over a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering amounting to N33.8 billion in connection with the Mambilla Power Project.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Kwaido dismissed allegations that Mamman’s statements were extracted under duress, insisting that the process was both audio and visually recorded.
“The office where the statement was taken is a general office, accessible to different parties. The defendant stated he was not feeling well and opted to dictate the statement while his lawyer wrote it down,” he told the court.
He also read from an authorisation form, signed by Mamman, which stated:
“I, Saleh Mamman, have authorized my lawyer, Mohammed Ahmed of Pineal Solicitors, to write on my behalf due to ill health and other health challenges. In support of this, I have submitted a medical report to that effect.”
Further testifying, Kwaido recounted that Mamman had failed to honour a scheduled return to the EFCC office after an initial interrogation, absconding for about six months.
“We called and messaged him to return for further statements. His lawyers later wrote to request a short reprieve and suggested two dates – 14th and 20th February 2024. He eventually came on the 20th. During the session, his lawyer was smiling throughout and at no point was there any threat made to the defendant,” he said.
The witness added that Mamman had mentioned some of his business partners during questioning and was asked to bring relevant documents and return in two weeks, but he failed to do so.
The court admitted the audiovisual recording of Mamman’s confessional statements, which was played in court through a screen.
The matter was adjourned to April 10, 2025, for continuation of the trial-within-trial.
At the previous sitting, defence counsel Mr. Femi Atteh had accused the prosecution of failing to provide visual and audio evidence of Mamman’s statements, an assertion that was countered in Tuesday’s proceedings.
