Six years after jumping bail, Maina’s son to begin seven-year jail term

After spending six years evading justice following his decision to jump bail, Faisal Maina, son of former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, is set to begin serving his seven-year prison sentence for money laundering.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered his remand in a correctional facility to serve the jail term imposed on him following his conviction for money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets.

Justice James Omotosho issued the order while granting an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking a warrant for his committal to the Nigeria Correctional Service.

In the application, the EFCC sought to enforce Faisal’s conviction and sentence, which had earlier been affirmed, but with reduced terms, by the Court of Appeal.

The anti-graft agency also asked the court to direct that the sentence should commence from October 14, 2026, when the Department of State Services (DSS) rearrested him in Karsana, Abuja, and handed him over to the commission.

EFCC counsel, M.K. Hussain, moved the application, which Justice Omotosho granted by issuing the committal warrant.

The court ordered Faisal to serve three years’ imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three, in accordance with the Court of Appeal’s judgment of November 24, 2022.

The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning that he will effectively serve the longest term of seven years, commencing from the date of his rearrest.

Faisal’s journey to prison dates back to 2019, when the EFCC arraigned him before the Federal High Court in Abuja on three counts bordering on money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets.

He was prosecuted over allegations connected to the concealment and laundering of proceeds of unlawful activities associated with his father’s controversial tenure as chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was admitted to bail. However, rather than remain available to face the trial, he allegedly jumped bail and disappeared, prompting the court to proceed with the case in his absence.

On October 7, 2021, Justice Okon Abang, who presided over the trial, convicted him in absentia and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment each on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two.

The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, while the court directed that he be arrested wherever he might be found.

Faisal subsequently challenged the conviction and sentences at the Court of Appeal. However, in its judgment delivered on November 24, 2022, the appellate court upheld his conviction but reduced the sentences to three years on counts one and three, and seven years on count two.

Despite the appellate court’s decision, he remained beyond the reach of law enforcement authorities until October 14, 2026, when the DSS tracked him down and rearrested him in Karsana, Abuja.

His eventual arrest paved the way for the EFCC to return to court to secure the necessary warrant for the enforcement of the subsisting conviction and sentence.

The development brings to an end a six-year period during which Faisal remained at large despite an outstanding conviction and an order for his arrest.

His case also highlights the challenges posed by defendants who abuse the privilege of bail to frustrate criminal proceedings and evade the consequences of their actions.

Although the law recognises the presumption of innocence and guarantees an accused person the right to a fair hearing, those privileges do not extend to deliberately frustrating the judicial process by absconding after being admitted to bail.

The decision to proceed with Faisal’s trial in absentia and the subsequent enforcement of his sentence underscore the courts’ responsibility to prevent the administration of justice from being defeated by a defendant’s disappearance.

His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, was separately convicted over the laundering of approximately N2 billion in pension funds and has since completed his prison sentence.