Former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, has been released from Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja after nine months of being in detention.
Maina, who was arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Okon Abang, on October 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, despite being granted bail by the court.
The former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) is being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N2 billion fraud.
Lawyer to the former pension chairman, Ahmed Raji who confirmed the release of his client said the ex-PRTT boss was finally released on Monday evening after completing the necessary documents to enable him to regain his freedom.
Justice Okon Abang had, on January 28, 2020, varied Maina’s bail conditions, following his inability to meet the bail terms granted him on November 26, 2019.
The court then reduced the bail condition from one billion naira to 500 million naira with a surety in the like sum who must be a serving Senator as opposed to the earlier order of producing two serving senators.
He was later granted a further variation on June 29, where his counsel had informed the court at the last adjourned date that Senator Ali Ndume has agreed to stand as surety for his client.
Raji stated that the condition that requires the surety having a certificate of occupancy of landed property in his name in Abuja has also not been met.
He, therefore, prayed the court to accept a “certified irrevocable power of attorney” issued to Senator Ndume in the name of one Lawal Ahmed, the previous owner of the land.
Maina had been unable to get a senator as surety for his release until Ndume decided to do so.
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.
The lawmaker said;
It was a hard decision I had to make because I have a duty to represent the good, the bad and the ugly of Borno South.
Although Maina is charged with 12-counts bordering on money laundering, he, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
