The First Prosecution Witness, PW1, Abubakar Kwaido, in the trial-within-trial of the former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, told Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that the former minister voluntarily and personally wrote his confessional statements in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in the presence of his lawyers and partners and appended his signature.
Mamman is facing prosecution by the EFCC on a 12-count charge, bordering on conspiracy to commit money laundering in relation to the Mambilla Power Project to the tune of N33,804,830,503.73 (Thirty-three Billion, Eight Hundred and Four Million, Eight Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Five Hundred and Three Naira, Seventy-three Kobo).
The witness, an investigator with the EFCC, while being cross-examined by defence counsel, Femi Atteh, SAN disagreed with the position of the defendant that his extra-judicial confessional statements were borne out of coercion by operatives of the Commission and not given voluntarily.
The witness recalled that the defendant gave his statements in the Commission on May 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19 and August 3 and 9 2023 and that he wrote them in the presence of his lawyers and all the people that accompanied him.
“I was surprised to hear that he was threatened, as you can see in the videos we played, the defendant and his lawyer were smiling. On May 11, 2023, it was taken in the presence of his counsel, P . A Aderungi E.,q; on May 12, 2,023, it was in the presence of P.A Adewuyi and Aliyu Musa. On May 15, 2023, he was cautioned and his statement taken in the presence of Muzzarril Yahaya. On May 17, 2023, he was cautioned and his statement was taken in the presence of Umar Yunusa Esq. On May 19, 2023, he was cautioned in the presence of Paul Adetako Esq. On August 3, 2023, his statement was taken in the presence of his business partner Rabiu. On August 9, 2023, his statement was taken in the presence of Sulieman Yusuf. He brought all these individuals to the Commission,” he said.
Though the records of the defendant’s extra-judicial statements, being the proof of the Commission’s encounters with him, met opposition from the defence counsel, the judge, however, ruled for their admissibility in court, following compelling arguments by prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN. Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter till Friday, June 27, 2025, for continuation of cross-examination.
