CASE NUMBER 10921:

EX-AIR FORCE CHIEF JAILED OVER RECEIVING GRATIFICATION FROM CONTRACTORS

Click the thumbnails, below for larger photos

Alleged Perpetrators(s)

Alkali Mohammadu Mamu

Location (Town / State)

Abuja, Abuja

Date of Event

29 Jul 2020

Date of republication

29 July every year

Case category (Choose all that apply)

Case Summary

Alkali Mohammadu Mamu, former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Holding Company and Air Force Commanding, Training Command, has been convicted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and sentenced to two years imprisonment over corruption.

Full story

The former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Holding Company and Air Force Commanding, Training Command, Air Vice Marshal, Alkali Mohammadu Mamu has been convicted to 2 years in prison over receiving gratification from contractors as accused by EFCC at the high court of Abuja. The conviction came after the appellate court reversed the judgment of trial justice Salisu Garba of the High court of Abuja, Maitama in 2018 which led to the discharge and acquittal Mamu on corruption charges on the premise that EFCC failed to prove the corruption case it entered against the convict. It was reported that Mamu was one of the senior military officers accused of abusing their positions by the Presidential Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement (CADEP), which was mandated to look into contracts awarded for military procurement.
The convict prior to his final sentencing was arraigned first in 2016 by EFCC before the High court of Abuja on a four-count charge of which he was discharged and acquitted on all four counts, which led the EFCC’s lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir to appeal. Justice Yargata Nimpar On 29th July 2020, while reversing the decision of the High Court, faulted the judgment of the trial court. He held that “the trial court failed in its duty by applying principles of law in a flawed manner, leading to the striking out of the confessional statement. Based on the above, the three-man panel of Justices of the appellate court, in a unanimous judgment, convicted and sentenced Mamu to two years imprisonment in respect of one of the four-count charge against him, but acquitted the former Air Force boss on three other counts of the charge.
In furtherance of their judgment, they added that “He (the trial judge) erred. There was no legal basis for that action. Considering the evidence before the court, there was corroboration for the confessional statement particularly, the SEI Ltd’s payment for the cars, to the fertilizer company in which his (Mamu’s) daughters are directors. “I find the confessional statement good to be evaluated for weight. I, therefore, disagree with the trial judge and find that the confessional statement was properly in evidence and must be evaluated along other pieces of evidence before the court. “On count two, therefore, I find the respondent guilty. On counts one, three and four, there was no direct admission and even though it was established that the respondents got cars paid for by SEI Nig Ltd (Hima Aboubakar) and delivered by Coscharis. “Therefore, the defendant is discharged and acquitted on counts one, three and four of the charge, but guilty of count two.
Justice Nimpar stated that “Considering the circumstances and the facts in this appeal, particularly the fact that the defendant quickly refunded the sum of $300,000, there is no history of previous conviction before the court. Therefore, in exercise of the court’s discretion, the defendant is hereby sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and in the alternative, an option of N500, 000 fine”.

External links/URLs

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/07/corruption-charge-appeal-court-jails-ex-air-force-chief-avm-mamu/
https://businessday.ng/news/article/court-jails-ex-air-force-chief-avm-mamu-over-corruption/

Message: