The Abuja Federal High Court has sentenced Faisal, son of former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, to 14 years in prison, on a three-count money laundering charge, preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).
While delivering judgment on Thursday, Justice Okon Abang held that the anti-graft agency was able to establish that Faisal operated a fictitious bank account with the United Bank for Africa, (UBA), through which his father, Maina, laundered N58.1million.
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The court noted that the said fund, which was deposited into the account that was operated in the name of Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, was subsequently withdrawn by Faisal and his father between October 2013 and June 2019.
On count one, Faisal was sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment, 14 years on count two and another 5year sentence on count three. The sentence is to run concurrently starting from judgment day.
The Judgement was given in Faisal’s absence after jumping bail and allegedly fleeing the country.
Justice Abang also ordered that the 21-year-old Faisal, who had since June 24, 2020, failed to appear for his trial be arrested wherever he is found in Nigeria, and committed to a correctional centre.
If arrested outside Nigeria, the judge ordered that he be lawfully extradited to face his sentence.
The court ordered that the company, Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, through which the fund was laundered, be wound up, and the funds in it forfeited to the government.
Faisal was arraigned on October 25, 2019, on a three-count charge, bordering on money laundering and the illegal operation of an account.
The prosecution alleged that Faisal, sometimes between 2013 and 2019, received the sum of N58.11million, being proceeds of a corrupt act by his father.
He was also accused of failing to properly declare his assets before the EFCC.
(Editor: Ifeanyi Mark)
