Ade Adesomoju, Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stated on Thursday that it had reported a former Chairman of the d...
Ade Adesomoju, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission stated on
Thursday that it had reported a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed
Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, who has jumped bail in his N2bn money laundering
trial, to the governments of Niger Republic and the United States of America.
The anti-graft agency stated this in a counter-affidavit it
filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja to oppose the bail application filed
by the Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, who has been detained in prison since
Monday over his suretyship for Maina.
The EFCC stated that it was making frantic efforts to get
Maina arrested based on the warrant issued by the court on November 18, and had
enlisted the support of other security agencies and foreign governments to that
effect.
“That to the misleading deposition in paragraph 4(xxii) of
the supporting affidavit, I know as a fact that the prosecution has obtained
the bench warrant and is making frantic efforts to execute it, while enlisting
the support of other security agencies in the country as well as some foreign
governments, particularly the Republic of Niger and the United States of
America,” the affidavit read in part.
Justice Okon Abang fixed today (Friday) for ruling on
Ndume’s bail application.
The judge adjourned for ruling after Ndume’s lawyer, Marcel
Oru, argued the bail application, which was opposed by the EFCC lawyer,
Mohammed Abubakar.
On November 18, 2020, Justice Abang ruled that Maina had
jumped bail, having been absent from trial on four previous occasions since
September 29, 2020.
The judge thereby revoked the bail granted him, ordered his
arrest, and directed that his trial should proceed in absentia.
The judge also on Monday remanded Ndume in prison until he
produced Maina or paid the N500m bail bond to the Federation Account.
Ndume, on Tuesday, filed an appeal against the remand order
at the Court of Appeal, and an application for his bail before Justice Abang.
Arguing his client’s application before Justice Abang on
Wednesday, Oru contended that he had shown special circumstances to warrant the
granting of bail to the senator pending the hearing and determination of his
appeal.
Noting that his client had been of good conduct and worthy
of the judge’s favourable consideration, Oru said the senator always attended
the trial sessions, keeping with the directive of the court as Maina’s surety.
Oru, who condemned Maina’s conduct of jumping bail,
contended that denying the senator bail would discourage other responsible
Nigerians from standing surety for criminal suspects.
He added, “The surety has not committed any offence. He was
not charged and neither has he been indicted by any penal section.
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