A Federal High Court has fixed Oct. 19, for the continuation of the trial of Abdulrasheed Maina, ex-Chairman, Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT).
The registry gave the date, following the absence of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja and Maina on Monday.
The court registrar announced that Monday’s sitting would not be holding because Justice Abang was attending a seminar.
The absence of the judge also affected the trial of a Briton, James Nolan, over his alleged complicity in the 9.6 billion dollars judgment against Nigeria in the Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID) scam.
Maina had, on Oct. 8, in a viral video clip on social media claimed that he was nursing a knee injury in a hospital and would appear in court as soon as his doctor certified him fit to stand his trial.
He was recently released from Kuje Prison nine months after he was able to produce Sen. Ali Ndume, who deposed to an affidavit to always bring him to court at every adjourned date or forfeit the N500 million bail bond.
Ndume, who represents Borno South in the National Assembly, had told the court, on Oct. 2, that he did not know the whereabouts of Maina after he was absent from court since the trial resumed.
The judge, in the last sitting, had ordered Ndume to produce Maina unfailingly on Oct. 5 proceeding or he would be forced to grant the EFCC’s prayers to revoke Maina’s bail and issue a warrant of arrest against him.
Abang also threatened to grant the anti-graft agency’s prayer to make an order for the lawmaker to forfeit the N500 million bail bond to the Federal Government and be remanded in prison pending the time he was able to meet the pledge.
However, on Oct. 5, neither Abang nor Maina was in court, although Ndume appeared in court.
The EFCC had arraigned Maina (1st defendant) before Justice Abang, on Oct. 25, 2019, alongside his son, Faisal; and firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd.
Although Maina is facing 12-counts bordering on money laundering, he pleaded not guilty to all the charges. (NAN)
