Maina.
The trial of Faisal Maina before Justice Okon Abang of
the Federal High Court, Abuja continued on Wednesday, November 25,
2020, with the testimony of the third prosecution witness, Rouqayya
Ibrahim, a Principal Detective Superintendent (PDS) with the
EFCC.
Faisal Maina, son of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman,
Pension Reform Task Team, is being prosecuted by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count of money
laundering and false declaration of assets.
This was disclosed in a statement signed on Wednesday by EFCC
spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren.
Uwujaren in the statement explained that the witness in his
testimony stated that Faisal Maina made contradictory statements
concerning the registration of a company he allegedly used in
siphoning funds to the tune of N58million.
READ ALSO: Court Asks Rep Member Who Stood As Surety For
Faisal Maina To Re-Appear
According to Ibrahim, the defendant stated upon interrogation
that Northrich Properties International Nigeria Limited was
registered by one Barrister Oladosu F Ariyo; that the names of its
directors are: Abdurrasheed Faisal, Muhammed Abore and Salisu Maina
Maina Usman and that he received payments through bank transfer
from one Alhaji Abdullahi of Faisal Farms.
“We asked him questions regarding his written statement of
October 3, 2019, regarding the company because we noticed that he
did not declare his assets. And also, regarding Faisal Farms’ bank
account and the funding of the account, Faisal, stated that the
company, Faisal Farms, has two signatories, his father, himself and
that he was a signatory to the account,” the witness said,
revealing in the contrary, that Faisal Farms does not have a farm,
and that the defendant told the EFCC in his statement that the
account was his personal account, funded by his parents.
According to the PW3, the defendant was shown the deed of
assignment between one Mrs. Rose AF Molueke and Faisal Abdurrasheed
Maina concerning a house bought for him by his father in 2003, and
he denied knowing the buyers of the said house and plots of
land.
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“When he filed the asset declaration form, there is a space for
the immovable asset in or outside Nigeria and he declared only one
house as a gift from his father, but he did not declare the house
that I just read out from his statement of October 4, 2019,
and there is also a part in the asset declaration form, part ‘K’
where he is supposed to mention if there are properties where he
has interest as a beneficiary, trustee or being filled on his
behalf, all were filled as none,” the witness said.
The witness further pointed out that there were companies and
properties the defendant failed to declare and was also operating
an account which he is not the owner of the business name.
Faisal Maina has not been in court nor sent legal representation
in the four consecutive adjournments of his trial since November
26, 2019, when he was released on bail, prompting Justice Abang to
revoke his bail and issue a bench warrant against him.
He also ruled that his trial will continue in his absence on
November 18, 2020.
Additionally, the judge ruled that his surety, Hon Sani Umar San
Galadima, of the House of Representatives, representing Kaura
Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara State should appear in court
on Wednesday to show cause why he should not forfeit his N60million
bail bond for his failure to produce the defendant in court.
The matter was adjourned till December 4, 2020, for a hearing on
the application for forfeiture of the surety’s bail bond.
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/11/26/mainas-son-made-contradictory-statements-to-efcc-court-witness/