The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a formal order for the immediate incarceration of Faisal Maina, the son of the former Pension Reform Task Force chairman, Abdulrasheed Maina, to commence his prison sentence following his recent apprehension.
Justice James Omotosho granted the directive following an ex parte motion presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), represented by counsel M.K. Hussain. This legal development follows the apprehension of Faisal Maina by the State Security Service on October 14, after he had spent approximately six years as a fugitive from justice.
Faisal Maina was initially arraigned in 2019 on a three-count charge involving money laundering and the failure to provide a comprehensive disclosure of his assets. Following his arraignment, the defendant jumped bail, which compelled the court to proceed with the trial in his absence. In October 2021, Justice Okon Abang delivered a conviction, sentencing him to varying terms of imprisonment, including a 14-year term on the second count, with the order that the sentences run concurrently.
Following his successful apprehension by security operatives, the EFCC sought a judicial mandate to enforce the subsisting conviction. The commission specifically requested that the court facilitate the execution of the sentencing imposed by the Federal High Court and affirmed by the Court of Appeal on November 24, 2022.
In granting the motion, Justice Omotosho issued a warrant committing the convict to a correctional facility to serve out his term. Under the revised sentencing framework established by the Appellate Court, Faisal Maina is to serve three years on count one, seven years on count two, and three years on count three. The court further clarified that these sentences will run concurrently, effective from October 14, the date he was taken back into custody.
His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, previously served as the chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Force Team and has also undergone his own period of incarceration following a separate conviction on a N2 billion money laundering charge.
Source: NaijaProbe