A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja on Tuesday varied the conditions attached to the bail granted former Chairman of Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina.
Justice Okon Abang, before whom Maina is facing charges of money laundering, granted him conditional bail on November 25, 2015.
Among the bail conditions were that Maina endorse a bond of N1 billion and produce two sureties who must be serving senators and who must attend court at every subsequent proceedings.
Maina returned to the court with a prayer for variation of the bail conditions on the grounds that they were too stringent.
In a ruling, Justice Abang averred that by the facts placed before the court by his lawyer, Maina’s application ought not to have been granted.
“But in the past few adjournments, I watched the conduct of the defendant. He is calm and has not interrupted the proceedings of the court. Maybe he has realised that the court is bound to do justice in the case.
“I am inclined, though reluctantly, to vary the bail conditions in this matter,” he said
The judge reduced the bail bond to N500 million, saying Maina should produce a single surety who must be a serving senator.
He said the surety must not have a criminal case pending in court and must have a landed property fully developed in Asokoro, Maitama, the Central Business District (CBD), Wuse 2 or Katampe, in Abuja.
Justice Abang added that the surety must accompany the defendant to court at all trial dates and must sign an attendance register, which would be opened for that purpose.
The surety, the judge also said, could leave the court to continue his daily activities after signing the attendance register.
He added that the registrar must sight the surety before going back to attend his legislative proceedings.
The prosecution later called one of its witnesses, who testified for a while before the court adjourned further proceedings till February 6, 2020.
The Nation
