The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed why former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, jumped bail and fled to Niger Republic.
Maina is on trial for money laundering charges before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Late in 2020, he was found by the court to have jumped bail and fled to Niger.
Upon an arrest warrant issued by the court, Maina was later apprehended in the neighbouring country and repatriated to Nigeria.
In a fresh court document filed by the EFCC, the anti-graft agency claimed Maina “sneaked out to Niger Republic after jumping court bail was to obtain new travel documents at the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) in Niamey to enable him flee back to the USA with his family where he and his family are equally citizens.”
The EFCC explained further that Maina decided to go for fresh travel documents, because the ones he had before had been deposited with the Registrars of the Federal High Court and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of the conditions attached to the bail granted him last year by both courts.
The commission, which filed the document in opposition to a fresh bail application by Maina, warned the court against admitting him to bail again in view of his antecedents.
The EFCC also faulted Maina’s claim of deteriorating health, and on which he hinged his fresh bail application.
“The first defendant (Maina) did not suffer or undergo any treatment for any health challenge in his knee whether in Nigeria or in Niger Republic,” it said.
The commission noted that it had, on October 2, 2020 filed an affidavit of facts to debunk “the false claims of the first defendant about undergoing treatment of his knee at the Maitama General Hospital, Abuja.”
In the counter-affidavit filed by the lead prosecuting lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, the EFCC prayed the court to reject the bail application.
