A Senator representing Borno South, Senator Ali Ndume has agreed to stand as surety for the embattled Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce, Abdulrasheed Maina, facing trial over alleged money laundering.
Maina’s counsel Joe Gadzama said that his client has, therefore, decided to withdraw an appeal he lodged before the Abuja Court of Appeal to challenge his bail conditions.
Gadzama, however, begged the court to drop part of the conditions that would require Senator Ndume to tender the Certificate of Occupancy of the property he intends to submit for the bail of the Defendant after the counsel for EFCC Farouk Abdullah, filed a counter-affidavit arguing that Power of Attorney did not convey ownership of the said property to the Senator.
Since October 25, 2019 the former pension boss has been at the Kuje Correctional Center over his inability to perfect some of the bail conditions which the Abuja Federal High Court gave for his release.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC had alleged that Maina used fictitious names to open and operate various bank accounts, as well as recruited his banker-relatives, to operate fake bank accounts through which illicit funds were channeled.
The EFCC had also alleged that Maina used a firm- Common Input Properties & Investment Limited, to launder about N2billion, part of which he used to acquire landed properties in Abuja.
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Since the court granted Maina bail on November 24, 2019, he was unable to fulfil the conditions, he said were too stringent.
In a previous application, Maina had filed for variation of the terms.
The trial Judge, Okon Abang, on January 28, had reduced the initial bail sum from N1billion to N500million.
The trial Judge then warned that Maina’s bail would be revoked any day his surety failed to accompany him to court for his trial. Justice Abang deferred ruling on
the application till June 29.
Editor: Tunde Orebiyi
