28th July, 2020
By Taiye Agbaje
Abdulrasheed Maina, ex-Chairman, Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), has been released from Kuje Correctional Centre, nine months after his detention.
Maina was arraigned before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on 25 Oct. 2019, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his son, Faisal, and firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd.
He was charged with 12-counts of money laundering of N2billion. He pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
However, Maina’s Lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, in a telephone interview with NAN on Tuesday, said the ex-PRTT boss was finally released on Monday evening after completing the necessary documents for bail.
Adedipe, who is from the chamber of senior lawyer, Ahmed Raji, said though Maina should have been released July 24, the release 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; 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 afford his client to have adequate medical attention.
“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 in order 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.
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.
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.