A former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, has said that he was indisposed at the time he was interrogated by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over allegations of fraud.
Mamman, in a video clip played in the open court during a trial-within-trial before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, said he was not in a suitable state of mind, having just recovered from illness during their inquiry.
Justice Omotosho had ordered that the video clip of the interview session conducted by the commission’s officials during their investigation be played in the open court following allegation that the ex-minister did not voluntarily make the statement.
Mamman’s lawyer, Femi Atteh, SAN, had opposed an application by the anti-graft agency’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, to tender the statement in evidence.
The judge consequently ordered that the video clip be played to ascertain the veracity of the argument.
Meanwhile, before the clip was played, Oyedepo told the court that the reason for playing the video is to show the court that a previous statement which the EFCC sought to tender in evidence was made voluntarily by the ex-minister
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But Atteh disagreed, insisting that the statement was made when Mamman was not in his right frame of mind as he had already told them he had just left sickbed
In the video clip, the former minister was seen telling operatives of the EFCC that he left sickbed to honour the invitation of the anti-graft agency.
He also denied ownership of a property in Wuse II when he was asked by the officials of the EFCC during the investigation.
The two hours video clip was played for 30 minutes in court where the ex-minister spoke in Hausa Language during interrogation but was interpreted in English Language by an interpreter of the court.
Due to bad audio of the clip during the session, the interpreter occasionally said: “My lord, I did not hear him properly.
“I will skip where I do not understand.”
The judge responded and said, “interpret what you hear.”
At the last adjourned date on March 19, 2025, a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the 5th prosecution witness (PW-5) in the trial, said the apex bank managed the project account on behalf of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF).
The witness, Okoroafor Chinyere, a Deputy Manager, Domestic Payment Division at the bank, stated this while being led under cross-examination by Atteh.
She confirmed to the court that the EFCC wrote a letter to the bank, demanding for details on the Ministry of Power and it was given to them.
While speaking on the project account which documents were tendered and admitted as exhibit, Okoroafor confirmed that the bank manages the account on behalf of the Accountant General’s office.
On whether she is familiar with remita payment process, she answered in the affirmative.
But when asked whether it was possible for the former minister or his office to make approval, she said: “I cannot say.”
“We don’t receive instructions to make payment on remita, we only get a directive from OAGF,” Okoroafor said.
She said the Mambila Zungeru Project account is domiciled with the CBN, but was solely under the Accountant General of the Federation, and not under the Minister of power.
Okoroafor told the court that there are laid down procedures as regards withdrawal from the special project account and the minister has no power of withdrawal from it.
She said only the OAGF has the authority on such account.
The judge adjourned the matter to April 10 in continuation of the video clip evidence in the trial-within-trial.
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