BREAKING: Ex-Pension Boss, Maina collapses in court

A former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, on Thursday, collapsed in the dock during the resumed hearing in his N2bn money laundering trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Thursday’s sitting was scheduled for the hearing of the defendant’s no-case submission, following the close of the prosecution’s case with nine witnesses earlier on Wednesday.

The former pension boss collapsed at exactly 10:05 am when his counsel, Anayo Adibe was making submissions before Justice Okon Abang handling his trial.

Before the collapse, his counsel, Anayo Adibe, was briefing the judge, Justice Okon Abang, that his team had yet to receive the records of proceedings requested from the court’s registry when a loud thud of Maina’s fall drew attention to the dock.

Some Lawyers and Prison officials immediately rushed to him to attend to him.

As at the time of filing this report at about 10:30am, Maina is yet to be revived.

The matter was on Wednesday adjourned till today, December 10, 2020 for defendant to argue his no case application and for the prosecution to respond to same orally.

Justice Abang said the court would rise for about five minutes.

EFCC had in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/256/2019, alleged that Maina used a bank account that was operated by his firm and laundered funds to the tune of about N2billion, part of which he used to acquire landed properties in Abuja.

It told the court that the Defendant used fictitious names to open and operate various bank accounts, as well as recruited his relatives that were bankers to operate fake bank accounts through which illicit funds were channeled.

The Prosecution told the court that contrary to financial regulations, the banks, opened phony accounts for the Defendant, without conducting due diligence to ascertain the true identities of the owners.

It told the court that some of the bogus names Maina used to operate the accounts in a bid to conceal his true identity, included Aliyu Nafisatu and Dr. Abdullahi A. Fisal.

In count three of the charge, EFCC alleged that the Defendant had sometime in 2014, took possession of the sum of N171.91million that was paid into one of the accounts he operated with one bank  (name withheld).

He was in count four, alleged to have taken possession of $360, 588.27, knowing that same was proceeds of an unlawful activity.

Maina was alleged to have in 2012, opened account number 4510002782 with his pseudo name, Dr. Fisal, and subsequently wired $1.822m into the account.

In count 11, EFCC told the court that without going through any financial institution, the Defendant paid a cash sum of $1.4m to purchase a property in Abuja.

It said that the Defendant had on June 27, 2012, made cash payment of $2m through one Adamu Modibbo, for the purchase of another property in the Jabi District of Abuja. The prosecution maintained that the Defendants committed criminal offences punishable under sections 11(2) (a), 15(3), and 16(2) (c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, and also acted in breach of the Advance Fee Fraud Act. However, the Defendants who were arraigned on October 25, 2019, pleaded not guilty to charge.

The court to suspend sitting.

As at the time of filing in this report, 10:30, Maina is still on the floor with medical officers from the court trying to revive him.

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