A Federal High Court in Abuja has found the ex-chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, guilty of money laundering and other forms of corruption.
Justice Okon Abang, in a judgment on Monday, analysed evidence led by not the prosecution and defence in the case and found that the prosecution established its case against Maina.
Justice Abang the prosecution established that Maina stole over 2billion naira from pensioners’ funds, “most of whom have died without reaping the fruits of their labour”, the judge said.
The judge also found Maina guilty of purchasing a property in Abuja for which he paid with $1.4million cash, which is above the statutory threshold of 5million naira and without passing through a financial institution, describing it as a criminal offence.
Justice Abang also found Maina guilty of concealing his true identity as a signatory to accounts opened in two new generation banks by using the identity of his family members without their knowledge.
These accounts had cash deposits of N300million, N500million and 1.5billion, which the judge found that Maina stole from pensioners because he could not prove where he got the said funds from.
The judge noted that throughout Maina’s service as a civil servant his salary and emoluments could not have amounted to the monies in the accounts.
He noted that the prosecution produced essential evidence through witnesses called to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Maina is also guilty of money laundering to the tune of 171,099,000 naira.
The judge said the amount formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful act.
“I find the defendant (Mr. Maina) guilty and convicted in counts 2, 6, 9, 3, 7 and 10,” the judge said.
The judge, who is currently listening to the plea for mercy (allocutus) from the defence lawyer, has pronounced on the sentence.
Culled from The Nation
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