Abdulrasheed Maina, ex-Chairman, Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), has
been released from Kuje Correctional Centre nine months after his
detention.
Maina, who was arraigned before Justice Okon Abang of
the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Oct. 25, 2019, by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his son, Faisal, and firm,
Common Input Property and Investment Ltd., had been in detention since
the period.
However, Maina’s Lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, in a
telephone interview on Tuesday, said the ex-PRTT boss was finally
released on Monday evening after completing the necessary documents for
his freedom.
Adedipe, who is from the chamber of Lawyer Ahmed
Raji, SAN, said though Maina should have been released July 24, it was
delayed till this week due to administrative procedures
“It was already late last week Friday so they now have a new timeline shifted at 6 O’Clock.
“We went there and everything was done,” he said.
On
why Maina had been kept in detention after Justice Abang further varied
his bail conditions on June 29, the lawyer said: “It was also
administrative. There were lapses here and there; the transmission of
processes from one department of government to another.”
He, however, said the development had nothing to do with an act of vindictiveness on the part of the government officials.
Adedipe, who expressed happiness over the release, said the action
would not only afford his client to have adequate medical attention but
would also afford him the
“We can only thank God and this is good
for us because we will now have time to prepare for his defence; we
will now have goof conferencing on the matter.
“We will have a
better perspective of what the case is all about. And this will also
allow him to treat himself you know he has been very ill to stand the
trial,” he said.
Another counsel to Maina, Afam Osigwe, also confirmed that his client had been released from the correctional centre.
“Yes,
Maina came out yesterday (Monday). We have met all the bail conditions
but they did not release him until yesterday,” he said.
Osigwe
said he was happy Maina had been released on bail and that the
development would allow him to attend to his health challenge and
continue his trial.
NAN reports that the ex-Pension Reform boss,
through his lawyer, Joe Gadzama, SAN, had, on June 23, informed the
court that Sen. Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, had decided to
stand as surety for him.
Ndume, who is the Chairman, Senate
Committee on Army, had, in a statement on June 24, had also admitted
standing as surety for Maina.
He revealed that it took him six
months of painful consideration to agree to be a surety for the
ex-Pension boss and that it was part of the cross he had to carry as
Maina’s elected senator.
According to the lawmaker, it was a hard
decision I had to make because I have to represent the good, the bad,
and the ugly of Borno South.
Justice Abang had, on Jan. 28,
varied Miana’s bail conditions, following his inability to meet the bail
terms granted him on Nov. 26, 2019.
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.
The judge ruled that the surety,
who should not have a criminal case pending in any court, must have a
landed property fully developed in Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse II, Katampe,
or Central Business Districts of Abuja, with Certificate of Occupancy
attached as evidence.
Abang also ruled that the senator thought
would always come to the court at every adjourned date, the lawmaker
only needed to come and sign a court register that would be opened at
the registry, among other terms.
However, Maina had been unable to get a senator as surety for his release until Ndume decided to do so.
Justice
Abang, who had, on June 29, considered the arguments of parties, said
it was within the court’s jurisdiction to either grant bail by vacating
the existing conditions or grant new conditions.
Although Maina is charged with 12-counts bordering on money laundering, he had, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
2 Comments
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