Money Laundering: Why I Withdrew From Maina’s Trial – SAN

Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Sani Katu has explained his decision for seeking to withdraw from the money laundering trial of the embattled former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abulrasheed Maina.

Maina was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly diverting funds meant for pensioners.

THE WHISTLER earlier reported that Katu told a trial judge Okong Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that he wanted to withdraw from the case because his client had made up his mind to engage another counsel.

But the prosecution objected to it while the judge refused to grant the oral application, adding that his prayers were geared towards compounding issues “and to hold the court to ransom.”

Speaking to our correspondent, Katu said that he chose to withdraw because Maina engaged his services but was busy making moves without his knowledge.

He said he was shocked to see in the media that 10 persons had been subpoenaed to give evidence in the trial.

“Our mind and that of the first defendant are working at cross-purpose. We came out yesterday and saw the news going around that a subpoena has been issued against about ten persons that we are not aware of.

“So on that basis, we felt we should allow him to decide his constitutional right of choosing a lawyer that he can work with because we cannot be doing a matter for him and then he will be briefing another person to be doing something else.

“We are only aware of three subpoena – the MDs of Fidelity Bank and United Bank of Africa and Central bank of Nigeria,” he said.

THE WHISTLER reported that the trial court had signed a subpoena compelling the former acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, and the Director of Compliance, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), among others, to appear before it and testify in the matter.