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Maina’s lawyer applies to withdraw from case

By Abisola Olasupo
25 November 2020   |   1:34 pm
A lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, representing fleeing former Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) chairman Abulrasheed Maina in his ongoing trial for money laundering has applied to withdraw from the case. Adedipe told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, at the resumption of proceedings in the case, that he has filed a notice indicating his…

A lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, representing fleeing former Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) chairman Abulrasheed Maina in his ongoing trial for money laundering has applied to withdraw from the case.

Adedipe told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, at the resumption of proceedings in the case, that he has filed a notice indicating his intention to withdraw from further representing Maina.

The lawyer who is representing Maina and his company, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, said he has not been paid by his client hence his absence from some proceedings.

This is coming 24hours after the judge ordered that Senator Ali Ndume who stood surety for Maina be remanded in Kuje Custodial Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NcoS) for failure to produce Maina.

Ndume, was given the options of either being remanded in prison custody, forfeiting the N500 million bail bond to the Federal Government by paying the sum into the federation account, disposing of his Asokoro, Abuja property by the government in order to realize the bail bond or producing Maina in court, while the session lasted.

Consequently, Ndume has been arrested and remanded for his failure to choose any of the options.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Maina, alongside his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, on a 12-count of operating fictitious bank accounts, corruption, and money laundering to the tune of N2 billion, for which the commission has so far called six witnesses.

Maina was granted bail in the sum of N1 billion on November 26, 2019, which was later varied on January 28, 2020, to N500 million with a senator as surety, and further varied on June 29, 2020, leading to a volunteer by Ndume as his surety.

Since his release on bail, the trial has been adjourned on four consecutive occasions without Maina making an appearance. As a result, the court on November 18, 2020, issued a bench warrant on Maina, revoked his bail, and ruled to try him in absentia.

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