A Federal High Court, sitting in
Abuja, Wednesday heard an evidence against the former Chairman of the Pension
Reform Task Team, PRTT, Abdulrasheed Maina revealing a UBA account where he
deposited a huge sum of N58 million naira suspected to be proceeds of crime
with his son, Faisal as the only signatory.
It was also uncovered that Maina
opened the controversial account under a business name called Alhaji Faisal
Abdullahi Farms 2, pand, not as a private limited liability company.
Besides, it was affirmed that
while Faisal was the signatory to the account, the company is entirely owned by
Maina and he was in possession of its ATM to make withdrawals anywhere he goes.
The prosecution counsel, Mohammed
Sadisu Abubakar, therefore, pointed out that Maina was running anonymous bank
account using his son as front because it was inconsistent with the law for a
man to run a venture and have a bank account where another individual is the
only signatory.
It would be recalled that the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is prosecuting Maina over
alleged operation of anonymous bank account, money laundering and false asset
declaration.
This development followed the
recent arrest of Maina in an Abuja hotel with his son where the latter also
allegedly pulled out a gun at the operatives of the Department of State
Services, DSS.
But when Maina’s son who already
has been in police custody was made to appear today before the court presided
by Justice Okon Abang, the defence counsel, Francis Oransaye urged the court to
order the Police to transfer his client from the Police Special Tactical Squad
to Kuje Correctional facility.
Oransaye predicated his plea to
the court on accessibility, saying, he had no access to his client.
In his words, “I wish to make an
application for the defendant to be transferred from the Police Special
Tactical Squad to Kuje Correctional facility as that will make it easier to
have access to him as against the current situation”.
“We strongly believe that access
to him is very fundamental in preparation to his defence”.
In his ruling, Abang said, “That
the police refused them access to the defendant. There is no credible
admissible evidence placed before the court that they were refused access.
“Learned counsel gave evidence
from the bar reporting what he claimed another person told him. Court can’t
take hearsay. His source is not in court to be put on oath to ascertain the
truth. I’m not prepared to act in vain.
“I have no jurisdiction to vary
my order. Application to transfer the defendant is hereby refused”.
Further, there were legal
fireworks by the prosecution and defence counsels on whether or not the United
Bank for Africa, UBA, account opening form by Maina for his Alhaji Faisal
Abdullahi Farms 2, be admitted as exhibit.
While the prosecution counsel,
Abubakar who cross-examined the UBA business manager, Mairo Mohammed Bashir,
PW1, maintained that the account’s document be admitted as exhibit , the
defence counsel, Oransaye opposed it.
It was also gathered that Bashir
sourced for the deposit from Maina and subsequently created the account.
But Oransaye argued that it was
contrary to evidence act for Bashir to tender the document for admission as
exhibit before the court.
In his ruling, Abang said he
entirely agree with the defence counsel that the document in evidence must be
tendered by maker of the document but it would cause undue delay.
He said, ” PW1 can give evidence
to avoid delay. The document is hereby admitted and marked exhibit A series.
Abang also adjourned the case to
November 21 and 22 for continuation of trial.
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