Court Sentences Maina’s son, Faisal, to 14 years Imprisonment

On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted and sentenced Faisal, the son of former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, to 14 years in jail.

The Court, in a decision issued by trial Justice Okon Abang, found Faisal guilty on a three-count money laundering charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC.

It was determined that the anti-corruption agency effectively established that Faisal ran a false bank account with the United Bank for Africa, UBA, through which his father, Maina, laundered N58.1 million.

The court stated that the above mentioned fund, which had been deposited into an account in the name of Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, had been withdrawn consecutively by the Defendant and his father between October 2013 and June 2019.

Justice Abang stated that he was satisfied that the EFCC proved all of the key elements of the allegation, emphasizing that the Defendant had a reasonable expectation that the inflows into the bank account were the profits of an illicit act of corruption by his father.

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While the Defendant was sentenced to 5 years in counts 1 and 3 of the charge, he was sentenced to 14 years in count 2.

The court ruled that the charge will be prosecuted concurrently beginning on Thursday.

The court ordered that Faisal, 21, who had failed to appear for his trial since June 24, 2020, be arrested anywhere in Nigeria and placed in any Correctional Service Center to complete his jail term immediately.

It also said that if the Defendant is found outside the nation, the Federal Government “must legally or legitimately begin extradition proceedings to bring him into the country to complete the jail term.”

It further held that in the event that the Defendant traced to anywhere outside the country, the Federal Government, “shall legally or lawfully commence extradition proceeds to bring him into the country to serve the jail term”.