ALLEGED FRAUD: Court accepts Ndume as Maina’s surety 

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday granted a second variation to the conditions he attached to the bail granted to the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, last year.

At the resumed hearing on the matter, the judge accepted the Chairman of Senate Committee on the Army, Ali Ndume, as a surety for the ex- pension task team chief.

Maina, who was re-arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last year, is standing trial for alleged fraud and money laundering.

The defendant was granted bail by Justice Abang on November 26, 2019, but remained in detention due to his inability to meet the conditions imposed by the judge.

READ ALSO: Ndume accepts to stand as surety for alleged pension thief, Maina

The judge had earlier in January reduced the number of serving senators the defendant was required to produce as sureties from two to one.

Maina’s lawyer, Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN), had told the court during last Tuesday’s proceedings that Ndume had agreed to be his client’s surety.

He also pleaded with Justice Abang to further vary the bail conditions to allow the senator to tender the Power of Attorney for the proposed property to be used for the bail guarantee instead of the Certificate of Occupancy as stipulated in the bail conditions.

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