THE Federal High Court, Abuja, has denied Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Taskforce Team (PRTT), a second bail application.
Okon Abang, presiding judge, ruled on Thursday that his bail application lacked merit before the court.
According to Abang, Maina had jumped bail when his application was initially granted by the court.
He added that the medical report brought from the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital showed that Maina was not under any medical emergency.
The judge said Maina was not only a flight risk but a proving risk, having fled to the Republic of Niger and Chad in violation of the court order. The judge said Maina had “disappointed the court.”
Abang also refused to grant the defendant’s application for an order directing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to release his confiscated property, including a BMW car, dismissing his request to set aside an order of trial in absentia made by the court late last year.
Maina had earlier applied through his lawyer, Anayo Adibe, seeking the court to grant him another bail.
Adibe argued before the court that his client only travelled to the Niger Republic for knee surgery and did not jump bail against the widely held belief.
In the motion, the ex-pension boss told the court that he had reasonable and responsible people who would act as sureties if granted bail.
The ICIR had reported how Maina’s former surety, Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno South, was ordered to be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre over the former’s refusal to appear before the court after bail.
Maina refused to appear before the court from the time it granted him bail on the grounds of failing health condition.
He was eventually extradited to Nigeria by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force earlier on 30th November 2020 through a collaborative effort with INTERPOL NCB, Abuja and their Nigerien counterpart.
Maina is standing trial over charges brought against him by the EFCC for ‘mindlessly’ looting billions of naira in the pension coffers and other money laundering-related issues during his tenure as the chair of the PRTT.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94