The trial of former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman Mohammed, continued last Wednesday when the 14th Prosecution Witness, one Mohammed Ashelk Jidda told the Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice James Omotosho that Mamman paid him a dollar equivalent of N200 million in cash for the purchase of a five-bedroom property in Wuse, Abuja.

Mamman is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 12-count charge in relation to the Mambilla Power Project. The charge borders on conspiracy to commit money laundering 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).

However, under cross-examination by Counsel to the Defendant, Mr. Femi Atteh, SAN, the witness was shown his earlier written statement for the EFCC where he stated that “I Sold one of my properties located at No. 12 Lungi Street, Wuse II, Abuja. The house I sold is five Bedroom twin Duplex, the house was sold to Samson Bitrus in the sum of N200,000,000.00 Million which the money was paid to me in the Dollar equivalent cash by the Samson Bitrus. The Dollar was brought to me in my office located at Gimbiya Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja by Samson Bitrus. We signed the documents together, he collected the documents and departed.”

Jidda admitted that the statement shown to him by the Defendant’s Counsel was his own statement with his signature. He could however not reconcile the content of the document with his testimony in court that he sold the house to Mamman.

It was pointed out to the witness that he had told the Court that it was Bitrus that told him that the minister was the one was buying the property, that “the  minister was the one who instructed me to sign the documents with Mohammed Hussein.”