By Abiola Olawale
There was a mild drama on Thursday as a former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman collapsed outside the premises of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Mamman who arrived at the court around noon fainted shortly after coming down from his car and was about to enter the courtroom.
The New Diplomat reports that the former minister is billed to be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N33,804,830,503.
Speaking during court proceedings, Mamman’s legal counsel Femi Ate informed the trial judge, James Omotosho, that his client fainted due to ill health.
The former minister was also seen drenched in water.
Explaining the appearance of Mamman, Ate said water was poured on his client after he fainted to resuscitate him.
Ate said: “Upon being brought into the premises of the court, Mamman collapsed and had to be resuscitated and treated by the medical personnel of the federal high court”.
Ate said he had appealed to the legal counsel of EFCC, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, that the case be adjourned to Monday on account of his client’s ill health.
However, the presiding judge declined the prayers, due to the backlog in the court dockets. The judge said the arraignment could only be fixed for September ending.
Ate then withdrew the oral application for an adjournment.
Following the withdrawal, Justice Omotosho asked Mamman if he was fit enough to take his plea today. The defendant responded in the affirmative.
The former minister told the court that he collapsed outside the courtroom because he had taken medicines on an empty stomach.
He said while he was outside the courtroom waiting to be called, his blood pressure dropped.
Speaking further, the ex-minister told the court that he called the attention of his lawyer to “the error” made by the EFCC in the charge served on him.
“I was complaining about the name, that it was not my own,” he said.
Omotosho then stepped down the arraignment till the correction is made, today.
It would be recalled that Mamman served under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2021.
On May 10, 2021, he was arrested and detained at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja.
Buhari, on September 1, 2021, sacked Mamman and the then Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, in what was termed a cabinet reshuffle.
Mamman is facing trial on allegations bordering on conspiracy to commit money laundering and possession and use of known proceeds of criminal conduct.
According to the charge sheet, the anti-graft agency accused the former power minister of conspiring with other officials of his ministry and some private companies to indirectly convert N33.8bn of funds released for the Mambilla and Zungeru Hydroelectric Power Plant Projects by the Federal Government.
