A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday revoked the bail granted Abdulrasheed Maina, who is facing trial for alleged money laundering.
Justice Okon Abang revoked the bail on the grounds that Maina has refused to show up in court to stand trial in alleged money laundering charges to the tune of N2bn brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Maina is accused of diverting N2bn of pension funds and operating fictitious accounts and carrying out other fraudulent activities and is being prosecuted by the EFCC on a 12-count charge.
The former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), who went into hiding for almost two years, was arrested by the State Security Service.
Since he perfected his bail conditions in July, Maina has refused to appear in court, feigning ill health.
The judge also ordered the arrest of Maina, who has since jumped bail.
Justice Abang in the ruling asked all security agencies in the country to arrest Maina “wherever he may be found” and produce him in court “without delay”.
The judge also ordered that the defendant’s trial would proceed in his absence pending when the defendant would be produced in court.
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At the resumed hearing Wednesday, Mohammed Abubakar, the prosecution counsel, said in his application that Maina’s refusal to appear in court on several occasions runs afoul of sections 184 and 352(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
He said that the absence of Maina from the proceedings of September 29 and 30 and October 2 and 19, 2020, as well as Wednesday without any reasonable excuse was enough reasons to make the orders.
Abang agreed and said Maina cannot hold the court to ransom.
He fixed November 23 for Maina’s surety, Ali Ndume, to appear in court to show cause why he should not be remanded in prison and forfeit his N500m bail bond pending when he would be able to produce the defendant.
The court on November 25, 2019 had admitted Maina to bail at N1bn after the judge ordered him to produce two sureties who must be serving senators and who must not be standing criminal trial in any court in the country.
He also ruled that the two sureties, who must be prepared for a N500m bond each, must always be in court with the defendant at each adjourned date.
Earlier in the year, on January 28, Justice Abang further reduced the bail bond from N1bn to N500m after Maina on January 13 told the court that he could not meet the stringent conditions of the bail.
Still not able to meet the adjusted bail conditions, Maina in an application dated February 10 asked the court to further vary the conditions.
But in a ruling on Maina’s bail variation application on April 29, Justice Abang held that the former PRTT chairman failed to put sufficient material before the court to prove that he was unable to meet his bail condition, which includes a serving senator as surety.
Dissatisfied with the position of the court, again Maina’s lawyer, Joe Gadzama, filed another application seeking further variation of the bail conditions.
Gadzama had informed the court that the senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, had agreed to act as a surety for Maina.
He, however, noted that the condition that requires the surety having a certificate of occupancy of a landed property in Abuja has also not been met.
Maina’s lawyer then urged the court to accept a “certified irrevocable power of attorney” issued to Ndume in the name of one Lawal Ahmed, the previous owner of the land.
Ruling on the application, Justice Abang said since the defendant has complied with the main condition of producing a surety, the court would accept the irrevocable power of attorney to replace the certificate of occupancy.
“On compassionate grounds, the court would accept the irrevocable power of attorney to replace the certificate of occupancy with respect of the property pledged as security for the bail of the defendant,” he said.
