The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the permanent forfeiture of one property and the interim forfeiture of four others linked to Saleh Mamman, the former Minister of Power. He is currently serving a 75-year prison sentence for corruption.
Judge James Omotosho made this ruling based on requests from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC shared a statement on its official X account on Monday, announcing that the judge gave these orders on Thursday.
The property permanently forfeited is Walijam Apartments, located at Plot 435, No. 43 Lobito Crescent, Wuse 2, Abuja.
The other properties that are under interim forfeiture include Bloom Luxury Suites Nigeria Limited at No. 5 Amana Crescent, New Estate, Unguwan Rimi, Kaduna State.
Two mansions at No. 11 Misratah Street and No. 13 Misratah Street in Wuse 2, Abuja, along with A.U.A Plaza on Plot 734 Kade Street, Wuse 2, Abuja, are also included.
In his ruling, Judge Omotosho stated that the EFCC proved that Walijam Apartments was obtained using money from illegal activities.
These recent forfeiture orders add to a number of assets linked to Mr Mamman that the court had already ordered forfeited. This was after he was found guilty of corruption and money laundering involving N33.8 billion.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that on May 7, Judge Omotosho convicted the former minister on all 12 charges. On May 13, he sentenced him to a total of 75 years in prison. The judge also ordered him to pay back N22 billion that the EFCC traced to him and directed the forfeiture of assets found during the investigation.
Later, the EFCC returned to court, claiming that the assets and money recovered from Mr Mamman were worth less than N2 billion. This left a significant gap in the N22 billion he was ordered to repay.
Therefore, the anti-graft agency asked for the forfeiture of five more properties, arguing that they were bought with money from illegal activities.
The EFCC stated that this application was necessary to recover part of the money linked to Mr Mamman and to enforce the court’s earlier order about repayment.
Mr Mamman’s lawyer, Femi Atteh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), opposed the application during the hearing on June 24.
He argued that the court had completed its work after delivering the judgement and no longer had the power to handle the forfeiture request.
He also mentioned that his client had appealed both his conviction and sentence. He insisted that any new forfeiture actions should be started as a separate case.
The EFCC disagreed, saying the court still had the power to rule because the properties were linked to the crimes for which Mr Mamman was found guilty. They maintained that the application was part of efforts to recover the money that was still owed.
After listening to both sides, Judge Omotosho set July 2 (Thursday) for his ruling.
In the ruling delivered that Thursday, the judge permanently forfeited Walijam Apartments after determining it was bought with money from illegal activities. He also ordered the interim forfeiture of the other four properties and told the EFCC to publish the interim forfeiture order in a national newspaper within seven days. This is to allow anyone interested in the properties to come to court and explain why they should not also be permanently forfeited to the federal government.
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