ON Tuesday, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja altered the bail conditions it had requested the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, to present with regards to his ongoing trial on corruption charges.

At an initial hearing on January 13, Maina had appealed to the presiding judge, Justice Okon Abang, that his bail conditions which required him to produce two sureties, who must be serving senators with landed properties worth N500m each in Maitama or Asokoro, areas of Abuja, was extreme and harsh.

Maina, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had urged the court to drop the conditions of the bail in the interest of justice.

Justice Okon, after considering his appeal reduced the bail sum from N1 billion to N500 million.

He also issued the recent directive in a ruling on Maina’s application for review of the conditions of the bail earlier granted by the court on November 26, 2019.

“With the facts placed before the court, the application of the defendant ought not to be granted, but for the previous adjournment, the defendant is now calm and does not interfere with the proceedings unlike when he was arraigned.

“I’m inclined reluctantly to vary the conditions of the defendant. He is admitted to bail in the sum of N500 million. Produce one surety who must be a Nigerian and a serving Senator, who must not be standing any criminal trial in court,” Justice Okon stated.

Also, the court modified the aspect of the earlier ruling requiring the defendant to produce as sureties two serving senators who owned landed assets worth N500 million each in Asokoro or Maitama, Abuja.

With the court’s ruling on Tuesday, the defendant will now have to provide only one serving senator with property worth N500 million in either Asokoro, Maitama, Wuse II, Central Business District or Katampe, Abuja.