Published 8th Nov, 2021

By Emmanuel Uti

Abdulrasheed Maina, a former head of the defunct Pension Reform Task Force (PRTT), has been found guilty of money laundering by a federal high court in Abuja.

Okon Abang, the trial judge, ruled on Monday that Maina stole over N2 billion from pensioners, “most of whom have died without reaping the fruits of their labour”.

“I find the defendant (Mr Maina) guilty and convicted in count 2, 6, 9, 3, 7 and 10,” Abang declared.

Abang said Maina was guilty of hiding his genuine identity as a signatory to two fraudulent bank accounts used to receive N300 million, N500 million, and N1.5 billion at different times.

He said that Maina’s salary and emoluments could not possibly equal the funds in these accounts due to his work as a public official.

Maina was also foun guilty of acquiring a home in Abuja for $1.4 million in cash which exceeded the statutory limit of N5 million without going through a financial institution.

Maina was charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in October 2019, but pleaded not guilty to a 12-count allegation of money laundering amounting to N2 billion.

Maina’s son, Faisal, was sentenced to prison a month ago after being found guilty of all three charges of laundering up to N58.1 million belonging to the public.

Maina skipped bail twice throughout the trial. After fleeing the country, he was apprehended recently in Niamey, Niger Republic, and extradited to Nigeria.

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