No respite yet for Maina on N2bn trial, Court rejects application to soften bail conditions

There is no respite yet for the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, who is facing trial on allegation of N2 billion fraud at a Federal High Court in Abuja. Maina who has been in custody failed to convince the court why his bail conditions should be varied to give soft landing for relative freedom.

The presiding judge, Justice Okon Abang, in his judgment on Wednesday, indicated that Maina failed to provide sufficient materials before it, to prove that he is unable to meet his bail conditions.

The Judge further court also rejected the turned down the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s request to revoke the bail the court granted to Maina. It was disclosed that the court rejected the EFCC bail revocation request because of an allegation that the man-onm-trial is planning to assassinate the witnesses and that the prosecutor was not backed with facts.

Maina had approached the court in January seeking relief on the bail conditions granted him which require providing two serving senators with landed properties worth N500 million each in Maitama or Asokoro in Abuja for surety.

Maina had requested the court to vary the bail conditions, he protested are excessive and stringent.

At the court sitting on December 6, 2019, counsel to Maina, Afam Osigwe, stated that  his client had met other conditions but finds it impossible to get senators to serve as sureties for him.

The court, then, granted the request, varied the bail condition to one serving Senator or member of the House of Representatives or a Director in the Federal Civil Service who must attend all proceedings. Maina has continued to find it difficult to present an individual of the prescribed status by the court to stand surety for him, thus, making further demand for softening the bail condition further.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been prosecuting Maina o allegation of N2 billion fraud.