…as court adjourns case till January 13

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, deferred hearing on an application the former Chairman of Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina who is facing money laundering charge, filed for his bail conditions to be varied, till January 13.

Trial Justice Okon Abang adjourned the matter till next year to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to file further counter-affidavit in opposition to Maina’s application.

At the resumed proceeding in the case, EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, notified the court that Maina filed and served him a further affidavit in support of his motion.

Abubakar, therefore, pleaded with the court to in the interest of justice and fair hearing, allow the prosecution to respond to issues the ex-pension reform boss raised in his further affidavit.

READ ALSO: Maina, son to remain in Kuje Correctional Centre till 2020

However, Maina’s lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Mongono, urged the court to reject the adjournment request by EFCC and consider his client’s bail variation request which he contended was ripe for hearing.

Mongono accused the anti-graft agency of deliberately frustrating his client’s application that was originally slated for hearing on Wednesday.

Besides, he argued that no provision of either the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, or judicial authority permitted the prosecution to file further counter-affidavit in the matter.

However, in his bench ruling, Justice Abang relied on a Court of Appeal decision and held that right of fair hearing granted to EFCC under section 36 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, would be breached if it was not allowed to respond to the further affidavit Maina filed on Tuesday.

Maina had approached the court, praying it to review and vary some of the bail conditions it handed to him on November 25, insisting that he found them too stringent to fulfill.

It will be recalled that the court granted him bail to the tune of N1billion, adding that he must produce two sureties with N500m each.

The court further stressed that the sureties must be serving Senators from any of the six geopolitical zones without pending criminal cases.

Justice Abang held that the sureties must have fully developed landed properties in either Maitama or Asokoro Districts of the Federal Capital Territory.

He said the sureties must be resident in Abuja and must accompany the defendant to court on every trial date, adding that they must submit their three years tax clearance certificate for verification.

Vanguard News Nigeria