The former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina arraigned on charges of fraud and abuse of office has regained his freedom nine months after being arrested and remanded at the Kuje Correctional Facility in Abuja.
Maina was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his son, Faisal and a firm, Common Input Property and Investment LTD, before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja on October 25, 2019.
According to his lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, the former pensions boss was released on Monday evening after completing his bail conditions.
He attributed the delay in fulfilling the bail conditions despite several waivers granted by the judge to several administrative lapses.
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“We can only thank God and this is good for us because we will now have time to prepare for his defence; we will now have good conferencing on the matter.”
“We will have a better perspective of what the case is all about. And this will also allow him to treat himself you know he has been very ill in order to stand the trial. Adedipe said.
Justice Okon Abang had varied Maina’s bail conditions following his inability to meet the terms initially given for his bail on November 26, 2019.
It was reduced from N1 Billion to N500 million and a surety in like sum who must be a serving senator opposed to two initially ordered.
Maina was unable to get a surety until Senator Ali Ndume, decided to stand in for him.
Ndume said it took him six painful months before he decided to stand as surety for Maina stating that he had no choice being the senator representating his constituency.