Pension funds: Maina absence at fraud trial lands surety Sen Ndume in prison
Court orders remand of Senator Ali Ndume after Maina to show up for fraud trial
Sen. Muhammadu Ali Ndume
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Senator Ali Ndume, surety to former chairman of the Presidential Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, after Maina failed to show up at trial over alleged N2 billion pension funds fraud.
Justice Okon Abang on Monday ordered that Ndume be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre over the trial until the forfeiture of the N500 million bail bond he deposited for Maina to the Federal Government.
The judge had on November 18 revoked the bail granted Maina and ordered security agents in the country to arrest to arrest him anywhere he is found and bring him before the court to face the consequences of his jumping the bail granted him by the court.
Before issuing order for his arrest, Justice Abang revoked the N500 million bail he granted Maina on the grounds that the bail had been abused persistently by his absence in court.
Justice Abang also gave Maina’s surety, Senator Ali Ndume till November 23 to show cause why he should not forfeit the N500m bond he deposited for Maina’s bail to the federal government.
Ndume, representing Borno South Federal Constituency, had in October informed the court that he only accepted to serve as surety to Maina after the court ordered him to produce a serving Senator who must be present in court on each day of the proceedings because Maina’s wife, mother and uncle approached him being his representative in the Senate.
Maina was on October 25, 2019 arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 12-count charges of money laundering and concealment of unlawful act between 2011 and 2014.