Pension fraud: Oronsaye signed mandates of accounts diverted by Maina – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday said a former Head of Service of the Federation, Steve Oronsaye, signed some mandates of companies where pension funds were diverted by Abdulrasheed Maina convicted of N2.7bn pension fraud.

Maina, a former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, was last year convicted to six-year imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

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At the resumption of the case of alleged money laundering against Oronsaye, the prosecuting counsel, Oluwaleke Atolagbe, tendered as exhibit, the judgment of Maina’s conviction by Justice Okon Abang through the 20th prosecution witness, Rukayat Ibrahim.

Ibrahim, an EFCC operative, testified that the commission had succeeded in getting Maina sentenced to eight years in prison over the pension fraud, saying that Oronsaye signed some of the mandate of companies’ accounts operated by Maina.

Ibrahim said Maina opened five fictitious accounts in a commercial bank and used them to siphon pension funds for his personal use.

However, under cross examination by defence counsel, Ade Okeaya Inneh (SAN), the witness, admitted that Oronsaye had retired in November 2010 before Maina’s offences were committed between 2011 and 2018.

The witness said though the biometric capture for workers was extended by the former head of service, investigation did not reveal that he inserted names of ghost workers.

On the N131m transferred to the State House account under Oronsaye, the witness insisted that due process was not followed because the money was meant for pension fund.

Since the money was appropriated, the witness said it was only through virement that such an amount could have been moved from one department to the other.