Court Sentences Maina’s Son, Faisal To 14 Years In Prison For Money Laundering

Court has sentenced Abdulrasheed Maina’s son, Faisal to 14 years imprisonment for money laundering.

Faisal Maina, the son of former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Taskforce Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

KanyiDaily had reported that the 21-year-old is facing three counts of false asset declaration and money laundering to the tune of N58 million – charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

During his judgment on Thursday, October 7, Justice Okon Abang found Faisal, who was sentenced in absentia, guilty on a three-count money laundering charge preferred against him by the EFCC.

Abang held that the EFCC was able to establish that Faisal operated a fictitious bank account with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), through which his father, Maina, laundered the sum of N58.1million.

The court noted that the said fund which was deposited into the account that was operated in the name of Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, was subsequently withdrawn by Faisal and his father between October 2013 and June 2019.

The judge said he was satisfied that the EFCC proved all the essential ingredients of the charge, adding that the defendant reasonably ought to have known that inflows into the bank account formed proceeds of an unlawful act by his father.

Faisal Maina Sentenced To 14 Years Imprisonment

On count one, Faisal was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, 14 years on count two and another five-year sentence on count three. The sentence is to run concurrently starting from judgment day.

Abang also ordered that 21-year-old Faisal, who had since June 24, 2020 failed to appear for his trial, be arrested anywhere he is found in Nigeria and remanded in any Correctional Service Centre to serve his jail term.

“The federal government shall arrest the convict anywhere found in the country and commit him to serve his jail term, if not found in the country, the FG shall legally or lawfully commence extradition proceedings against him,” the judge held.

The court ordered that the company through which the fund was laundered, Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, be wound up, and the funds in it forfeited to the government.

KanyiDaily recalls that the court had on November 24, 2020, issued a bench warrant for security agencies to arrest Faisal wherever he is found, shortly after the EFCC revealed that he had escaped to the United States of America through the Republic of Niger.