By Ameh Ejekwonyilo
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Senator Ali Ndume to produce the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, who has been away from over 10 scheduled court proceedings since September 2020.
The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang gave Senator Ndume 21 days ultimatum to bring fleeing Maina to court.
At Monday’s proceedings, Justice Abang, warned that should Ndume who is Maina’s bail surety, fail to produce the defendant for trial, the senator could be held in court on November 18, 2020.
Maina, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on money laundering charges involving N2bn, has been absent from court since September 29, 2020, when his trial was scheduled to resume.
On October 2, 2020, Ndume who is currently the Senator representing Borno South, the senatorial district Maina hails from, told Justice Abang that he could no longer find the defendant.
In response, the prosecuting counsel, Farouk Abdullah, told the judge that Maina had jumped bail, saying the commission’s independent investigation showed that the defendant was not in admission at the hospital where he claimed to be receiving treatment.
But Maina, in a video clip circulated on different online platforms, said he had not absconded from his ongoing trial but was suffering from knee injuries.
Both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Ndume separately urged the court to order Maina’s arrest on Monday.
However, Justice Abang explained that he could not issue Maina’s arrest warrant without ordering the detention of his surety (Senator Ndume).
Maina, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on money laundering charges involving N2bn, has been absent from court since September 29, 2020, when his trial was scheduled to resume.
On October 2, 2020, Ndume who is currently the Senator representing Borno South, the senatorial district Maina hails from, told Justice Abang that he could no longer find the defendant.
In response, the prosecuting counsel, Farouk Abdullah, told the judge that Maina had jumped bail, saying the commission’s independent investigation showed that the defendant was not in admission at the hospital where he claimed to be receiving treatment.
But Maina, had in a viral video clip, claimed that he had not absconded from his ongoing trial but was suffering from knee injuries, pleading for more time to recover in order to face trial.
