The Federal High Court, Abuja Division, has ordered that Faisal Maina, son of the ex-convict, Abdulrasheed Maina, be committed to a correctional centre to serve a seven-year jail term following his re-arrest.
Justice James Omotosho gave the order after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission filed an ex parte motion which was moved by its lawyer, M.K. Hussain.
Mr Abdulrasheed was the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Force Team. He was also convicted on a N2 billion money laundering charge and has since served his prison term.
The State Security Service re-arrested Mr Faisal on October 14 and handed him over to the EFCC after he jumped bail and failed to attend his trial about six years ago.
He was arraigned in 2019 before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on three counts of money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form.
After Mr Faisal took his plea on the charges preferred against him before Justice Okon Abang, the defendant jumped bail and avoided trial, prompting Mr Abang to proceed in his absence.
The judge delivered judgement on October 7, 2021, and convicted him and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two.
Mr Abang ordered that all the counts run concurrently and that Mr Faisal be arrested wherever he is found and taken to a correctional centre to serve his jail term.
After his re-arrest, the EFCC filed an ex parte motion seeking leave to apply for an order enforcing Mr Abang’s judgment against Mr Faisal, delivered on October 7, 2021.
It sought an order issuing a warrant to commit the convict to prison to enable him to serve the jail sentence imposed on him by Mr Abang, pursuant to the judgment delivered on October 7, 2021 and the Court of Appeal judgement of November 24, 2022.
It also sought an order directing that the defendant/convict serve the jail terms as ordered against him from October 14, 2026, the day he was rearrested.
After Mr Hussain moved the motion, the judge granted it. The judge, who granted leave for the EFCC to apply for the order enforcing the judgement, issued a warrant to commit Mr Faisal to prison to enable him to serve the jail sentence imposed on him by the Federal High Court and Appeal Court judgments, beginning on October 14, when he was re-arrested.
The judge said that, in accordance with the Appeal Court’s decision dated November 24, 2022, the sentence will be three years’ imprisonment in count one, seven years in count two, and three years’ jail term in count three, respectively, which shall run concurrently from October 14, being the date he was re-arrested.