Court revokes Abdulrasheed Maina’s bail, issues bench warrant

Absence of judge stalls Maina, Nyako’s trial — Maina

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered the revocation of Abdulrasheed Maina, former Chairman, defunct Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT)’s bail.

Justice Okon Abang, who gave the order in a ruling, also issued a bench warrant for Maina’s arrest “anywhere he is sighted.”

Maina (1st defendant) was arraigned before Justice Abang, on Oct. 25, 2019, by the EFCC alongside his son, Faisal, and firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd.

Although he is facing 12-counts bordering on money laundering, he had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The former pension reformed boss was on July released from Kuje Prison nine months after his detention.

The court had, on Nov. 25, 2019, admitted Maina to a bail in the sum of N1 billion with two sureties who must be serving senators.

The judge ruled that the two sureties, who must be prepared for a N500 million bond each, must always be in court with the defendant at each adjourned date.

He added that the sureties should not have a criminal case pending in any court and must have landed property fully developed in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, Katampe or Central Business Districts of Abuja, with Certificate of Occupancy attached as evidence.

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He also ruled that the senators though would always come to the court at every adjourned date, the lawmakers only needed to come and sign a court register that would be opened at the registry, among other terms.

The judge said the conditions were hinged on the anti-corruption agency’s allegations that Maina had multiple international passports and that prior to his arrest, he sneaked into the country from Niger Republic, among others.

But due to his inability to meet the bail terms, Justice Abang, on Jan. 29, further varied the bail conditions.

Abang reduced Maina’s bail condition from N1 billion to N500 million with a surety in the like sum who must be a serving senator as opposed to the earlier order of producing two serving senators.