The Federal High Court, Abuja has sentenced Faisal, son of the Chairman, defunct Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, to 24 years imprisonment.
Justice Okon Abang, in his judgment, held that Faisal, who was sentenced in absentia, was guilty of all the three-count charges.
The Court, in judgement that was delivered by trial Justice Okon Abang, found Faisal guilty on a three-count money laundering charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.
It held that the anti-graft agency successfully established that Faisal, operated a fictitious bank account with the United Bank for Africa, UBA, through which his father, Maina, laundered the sum of N58.1million.
The court noted that the said fund which was deposited into the account that was operated in the name of Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, was sequentially withdrawn by the Defendant and his father, between October 2013 and June 2019.
Justice Abang said he was satisfied that the EFCC proved all the essential ingredients of the charge, stressing that the Defendant reasonably ought to have known that inflows into the bank account formed proceeds of an unlawful act of corruption by his father.
Faisal was convicted for all the three counts levelled against him. Faisal got a five-year jail term for count one bordering on money laundering offence, another five years for count three which bordered on asset declaration and 14 years imprisonment on count two. However, the prison terms would run concurrently.
-Advertisement-
Justice Abang had on July 16, fixed the matter for judgment after the then Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s Lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, adopted the commission’s final written address and urged the court to convict Faisal in all the three counts levelled against him.
Faisal’s Counsel, A. A . Onoja, who did not file any final written address, had sought for an adjournment on the grounds that he was not briefed on the development in the case.
The EFCC lawyer, however, opposed his plea for an adjournment, arguing that on March 17 when the case was adjourned, Anayo Adibe, who appeared for Faisal, did not apply to file any written address, even after the ruling was delivered, saying “four months since that day, the defence has not done anything.”
The judge, who dismissed the application for adjournment, held that the request was made in bad faith.
Faisal, who is being prosecuted along with his father, Maina, is standing a separate trial on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering.
READ ALSO: Obiano accuses South-East Governors of sponsoring violence in Anambra
He, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The defendant, who was arraigned by the EFCC on Oct. 25, 2019, was admitted to bail, on Nov. 26, 2019, in the sum of N60 million with a surety in the like sum who must be a member of the House of Representatives.
However, Faisal jumped bail around September 2020 and stopped attending his trial.
The judge, on Nov. 25, 2020, summoned the lawmaker, Rep Sani Dan-Galadima, representing Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara, who stood as surety for Faisal, for disregarding the court order to produce the defendant in court after he was granted bail.
Abang then revoked the bail granted to Faisal, ordered his arrest and directed that his trial should proceed in absentia having being said to have jumped bail by the prosecution.
The judge also ordered the surety to forfeit the property which he used as a bail bond to the Federal Government, having failed to produce Faisal.
We do everything possible to supply quality news and information to all our valuable readers day in, day out and we are committed to keep doing this.
Your kind donation will help our continuous research efforts.
-Advertisement-
-Want to get the news as it breaks?-
