Faisal Maina, who is the son of the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, has been arrested.
Faisal Maina, who is the son of the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, has been arrested.
This came barely one week after Maina who had jumped bail in his ongoing N2bn money laundering trial at the Federal Court in Abuja was arrested in the Republic of Niger and brought back to the court.
Faisal who is being prosecuted in a separate three-count money laundering case at the same court, had jumped bail and stopped attending trial which had though continued in his absence.
Justice Okon Abang of November 24, 2020, revoked the bail granted him and ordered his arrest.
The judge also ordered the fleeing defendant’s surety, who is a member of the House of Representatives representing Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency, Umar Dan-Galadima, to appear in court.
But at the resumed hearing in the case on Thursday, surety’s lawyer, Mr. M. E. Sheriff, urged the court to suspend the hearing of the forfeiture proceedings on the grounds that he got information that Faisal had been arrested.
“My lord, I was reliably informed that the Defendant had been arrested. He was arrested last night and he is in custody,” the lawyer said.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. Faruk Abdullah, confirmed the development but said the defendant had not been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Recall that last month, the Federal High Court in Abuja revoked the bail granted Faisal and ordered his arrest for jumping bail in his trial on money laundering charges. Justice Okon Abang also ordered that his trial on money laundering charges would proceed in absentia pending when the security agencies would be able to arrest and produce him in court.
The judge also summoned his surety, a member of the House of Representatives, Sani Umar Dangaladima, representing the Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, to appear in court to show cause why he should not forfeit the N60m bail bond which he signed for Faisal.
