A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Faisal Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, to be remanded in a correctional centre to serve his jail term for money laundering.
Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Thursday after granting an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking a warrant to commit Faisal to the Nigeria Correctional Service.
What the court ordered
The judge directed that Faisal serve three years’ imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three, in line with the Court of Appeal’s judgment of November 24, 2022. The sentences will run concurrently, starting from October 14, 2026.
That is the day the Department of State Services (DSS) rearrested him in the Karsana area of Abuja, about six years after he jumped bail and disappeared during his trial. He was later handed over to the EFCC.
The EFCC had asked the court to enforce his conviction for money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets in a declaration form. After EFCC counsel M.K. Hussain moved the application, Justice Omotosho granted the reliefs sought and issued the committal warrant.
How the case unfolded
2019: Faisal was arraigned on a three-count charge of money laundering and failure to make full disclosure of his assets. He pleaded not guilty before a former judge of the court, Justice Okon Abang.
After arraignment: He jumped bail and stopped attending court. Justice Abang continued the trial in his absence.
October 7, 2021: The court convicted him and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two, to run concurrently. Justice Abang also ordered his arrest wherever he was found and his transfer to a correctional centre.
November 24, 2022: The Court of Appeal upheld the conviction but reduced the sentences to three years on counts one and three, and seven years on count two.
Father also convicted
Faisal’s father, Abdulrasheed, was separately convicted in a money laundering case involving about N2bn. He has since completed his prison sentence.
