A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, convicted and sentenced Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman, defunct Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), to eight years imprisonment.
Justice Okon Abang, in his judgment, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had proven the essential ingredients of all the 12 counts preferred against Maina beyond reasonable doubt in the money laundering suit.
The EFCC had on October 25, 2019, arraigned Maina (1st defendant) and his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd (2nd defendant) before the judge.
Delivering the judgment, the judge sentenced the ex-pension boss to three years in count one, five years in count two, eight years in count three, eight years in count four, two years in count five, five years in count six, and eight years in count seven.
Abang, who also sentenced Maina to three years in count eight, five years in count nine, eight years in count 10, three years in count 11 and three years in count 12, ordered that the terms of imprisonment shall run concurrently beginning from October 25, 2019, being the date he was arraigned.
He noted that though the law prescribed a maximum sentence of14-year-jail term for the offence, he could not but temper justice with mercy after Maina’s plea.
He ordered Maina and his company to refund the sum of N183, 568 million and $223, 396 within 90 days to the Federal Government coffers.
He also ordered the defendants to refund another N314, 481 million and N1.82 billion within 90 days to the Federal Government.
Read also: Breaking: Maina collapses in court
The judge, who ordered that the choice property situated at Life Camp, Abuja, said to have been bought with the proceed of the illegal activities be forfeited to the Federal Government, also held that another property in Jabi, Abuja, should also be forfeited to the government.
Justice Abang further ruled that his BMW 5 Series exotic car and the bulletproof car should be auctioned and the proceed forfeited to the Federal Government.
He ordered that the companies used in the corrupt act should wound up.
Justice Abang said Maina, who was the chairman of the pension team at the time pension money was stolen, was found guilty in all the counts and was accordingly convicted.
“In my view, it is pensioners’ funds the 1st defendant (Maina) stole, and some of the pensioners died out of frustration,” he said.
He said the anti-corruption agency was able to establish that Maina opened two anonymous accounts in United Bank of Africa (UBA) and five accounts in Fidelity Bank Plc to perpetrate his unlawful act.
Abang noted that the EFCC witness who testified in the course of the case pointed out that Maina, whose salary as a civil servant was N256, 000, couldn’t have had such money running into billions in his accounts even if he saved all his salaries in his 35 years in service, stating “that the money formed part of unlawful activities to which the 1st defendant reasonably ought to have known.”
He also said the EFCC was able to nail Maina, using his sister-in-law, who is a UBA staff; his blood sister, a civil servant and younger brother, who was a Fidelity Bank staff, among the prosecution witnesses.
The judge said that Maina could not defend himself on the evidence given by the fifth prosecution witness that he (Maina) gave him (witness) about $1.4 million in cash to purchase a property valued at N150 million located at Life Camp, Abuja.
He described Maina as “heartless,” having considered the monumental fraud of how the pensioners’ funds were stolen by him, running over N2.1 billion.
“The 1st defendant treated the pensioners with levity; some of them have suffered and died,” he held.
The judge said it was disheartening that Maina, through the assistance of UBA and Fidelity Bank Plc, deprived the pensioners, who gave their youthful age to serve the country, their legitimate right. NAN
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