The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned for judgement in the money laundering trial of Faisal Maina, the son of the embattled former Chairman of the Pension Reformed Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina.
Visiting judge, Okong Abang made the pronouncement on Friday after the counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), M.S. Abubakar, adopted his written address while urging the judge to convict the defendant on the three-count charge leveled against him.
THE WHISTLER reported that respective counsels had on February 4, argued about the whereabouts of the defendant who had jumped bail.
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On Friday, Faisal was absent in court but his counsel, A.A. Onoja prayed the court for adjournment.
On his part, Abubakar urged the court to convict the defendant.
“I adopt my written address and I urge the court to convict the defendant on the three counts, the prosecution having proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt,” he said.
In his ruling, Abang while observing that Faisal was on bench warrant, fixed October 2 for judgement on the case.
“This matter is adjourned to 2 October for judgement,” he said.
However, after presiding over two other cases, Abang realized that October 2 fell on a Saturday, thereby shifting the date to October 4.
Faisal is being prosecuted on three-count charge bordering on money laundering.
One of the charges reads: “That you Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, (alias Alh Faisal Abdullahi Farms), between October 2013 and June 2019, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, controlled an aggregate sum of N58, 111,585.00 (Fifty-eight Million, One Hundred and Eleven Thousand, Five Hundred and Eighty-five Naira) only, paid through the United Bank for Africa (UBA) account of Alh. Faisal Abdullahi Farms, when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activity to wit: corruption of one Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, who is facing a separate charge and thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as (amended) and punishable under Section15(3) and (4) of the same Act.”