The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Tuesday, heard how a former Minister of Power, Mr. Saleh Mamman, who served under the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, purchased a N200million property in Abuja with a cash payment in dollars.
Mamman is answering to a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of about N33.8 billion.
At the resumed hearing, the 12th witness that was produced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Samson Bitrus, told the court that he is a real estate agent that helped the defendant to purchase the property located at No. 12 Lungi Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the witness, who gave his company name as Tekma Grand Advantage Limited, said he was introduced to the defendant by one of his business associate, Alhaji Mustapha Dan Daura.
“In the course of business, I was introduced to him and we did a couple of businesses,” he added.
He told the court that former Minister had in 2019, asked him to source a property for him and do a thorough search to ensure that the said property “had no encumbrance.”
According to him, “after the search, we met the owner of the property and concluded the transaction by paying the purchase price. The property was at No 12 Lungi Street, Wuse 2.
“The name of the seller was Jidda. When we went to the seller’s place, the ex-Minister came with his friend, I think his name is Mohammed Hussein.
“The purchase price was N200m and the defendant paid with dollars. The property owner received the money and counted to confirm that it was complete.
“When we concluded the transaction, I cannot remember if the documents were signed that day, but the property was taken over, with existing tenants in it.
“From then, I started managing the property for the defendant. I collect rent from the tenants, which I remit to an account that was provided by the defendant.
“I received a total of N8m as rent which came as N5m and N3m.
“But for the business, I received N1.5m as my agency fee even though it was paid to me in piecemeal.
“However, my lord, since the property was marked by the EFCC after I was picked up, I had to stay away.
“The last time I received rent on the property should be about two years ago. I am not sure I collected rent last year. It is a four and five bedroom duplexes.”
Continuing, the witness said: “Aside from that, there is also a second property that he asked me to look after at Kado Estate.
“Shortly after we got the property, it started deteriorating because there was no one living inside it.
“So, without telling the defendant, I used my discretion to rent out the property for N2.8m and N3m. It was afterwards that I told him.
“There was a property we also rented for N5m per annum, which we paid for two years, renovated and rented out again for 12.5m,” the witness added.
Meanwhile, counsel to the defendant, Mr. Femi Atteh, SAN, asked for an adjournment to enable him to effectively cross-examine the witness.
Earlier in the proceeding, a Bureau de Change, BDC, operator, Mr. Maina Goje, whose evidence in Hausa was relayed to the court through an interpreter, said he usually took money to the former Minister at his Abuja residence.
However, he admitted that the defendant never collected the money from him directly, but through boys living in his house.
He told the court that it was one Mustapha who connected him to the business that gave him phone number of who to call whenever he arrived at the house.
“Once I get to the house, I will call the number and one of the boys will open the gate for me to drive in.
“When I enter the compound, I will reverse my car and the boy will bring out the money from the boot which we will take to the boys quaters to count, either the Naira or Dollars.
“There was a day that the Minister said he needed new Naira notes. It was either N50m or N30m that I took to him, I cannot remember again. But I took the new notes to him in bags,” the witness added.
Asked to look at the defendant in the dock and confirm if he knows him, the witness, said he does not know him, neither did he engaged in any hand-to- hand transaction with him.
“I only relate with his boys because they won’t allow me to see him,” he told the court.
Moreso, he told the court that Mustapha had one time, handed him money totalling about N1.819billion to transfer to one Abdul and Ahmad in Dubai.
Under cross-examination, the witness said he could not recall returning N70m to the EFCC.
He equally denied an allegation that himself and one Abdullahi Suleman, benefited over N270m from all the transactions he handled with respect to the case.
“We benefited, but it was not up to that amount,” the witness insisted, though he admitted that he often received money from the Ministry of Power.
Asked how he could, with his over 28 years experience as a BDC operator, take $100, 000 and $50,000 to a small boy at a boys quaters, without documentation, the witness, said: “They did not give me the name of the boy, only his phone number. Once I get there, I would call and he would open the gate for me to enter.”
He said he could not remember the exact year he started receiving money from the Ministry of Powerower, adding that it was however got money from there for about two years.
Asked to confirm if he received monies from the Ministry from 2020 to 2025, the witness, said: “Since the Minister was arrested by the EFCC, I have not received any money again.
“But very close to the time the investigation started, they sent money, since the investigation started, they have not sent any money.
“I think it was more that one year now that the EFCC raided our office and arrested me.”
Meantime, trial Justice James Omotosho rejected an application by the prosecution counsel to move the court to visit the house where the witness usually took the monies to.
The court faulted EFCC’s lawyer for making the oral application after the witness had already been cross-examined.
However, he held that the anti-graft agency was at liberty to produce another witness to establish the ownership of the said building.
A bundle containing statements the witness made to EFCC, was admitted an marked as exhibit PW-Z.
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