A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday sent Ali Ndume (Borno South), chairman, Senate Committee on Army, to Kuje Correctional Centre.
He is to remain there until he produces in court Abdulrasheed Maina, whom he stood surety for on July 24 this year.
Maina, a former chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Team, is facing a 12-count charge for allegedly laundering the sum of N2bn through multiple fictitious bank accounts.
Maina has been absent in court for four consecutive times without any reasonable excuse.
The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, at the last adjournment on Nov. 18 gave Ndume till Monday, November 23, to show cause why he should not be sent to prison if he failed to produce Maina in court to stand his trial.
At the resumed trial on Monday, prosecution counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, informed the court that the defendant was not in court. He prayed the court for an order forfeiting the N500m bail bond Ndume signed in June.
Ruling on the application, Justice Abang ordered Ndume to pay N500m to the treasury of the Federal Government and deposit the receipt with the court registrar or forfeit his property located at plot 158 Cadastral Zone, Asokoro, Abuja.
He further ordered that Ndume be taken to prison until he fulfilled any of the conditions.
The judge noted that rather than Ndume showing cause why he should not be committed to prison by filing an application, he elected to write a letter to the registrar which has no value in the proceeding.
“He only referred to administrative letter addressed to Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR) who is not a court of law.
“It cannot frustrate the proceeding. Learned counsel for the surety ought to know better. The fact that you applied for Certified True Copy of proceeding does not matter here,” he ruled.
The court had in the last sitting issued a bench warrant to security agencies for the arrest of Maina, who has since jumped bail.
Justice Abang had earlier ruled that Maina will be tried in absentia. Consequently, the trial will resume November 24.
