Appeal Court Reaffirms Eight-Year Sentence Imposed On Maina Over N2.1bn Fraud

Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the eight-year sentence imposed on the former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.

KanyiDaily recalls that in 2022, Abdulrasheed Maina was sentenced to eight years imprisonment after he was found guilty of money laundering by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had accused Maina of stealing over N2.1 billion meant for pensioners and using some of the stolen funds to acquire properties in Abuja.

In a judgment on Friday, May 5, 2023, a three-member panel unanimously affirmed the judgement read by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, convicting and sentencing him on November 8, 2021.

In the lead judgement, Justice Elfreda Williams-Daudu affirmed the various interlocutory rulings delivered in the course of the trial at the Federal High Court, which Maina appealed against.

The judge, who resolved the two issues identified for determination against Maina, held that the appellant was not denied fair hearing by the trial court and that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

KanyiDaily recallks that Abdulrasheed Maina had pleaded “not guilty” to the charges. He also jumped bail twice in the course of his trial, but was arrested in Niger Republic, where he had fled.