This was disclosed by a lawyer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mohammed Abubakar, at the resumed hearing in his money laundering trial before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja today Thursday, February 4.

Recall that Faisal like his father went underground after he was granted bail by the court. While his father was re-arrested in the Niger Republic on December 1, 2020, Faisal remained elusive until EFCC recently got intelligence that he has fled to the US where he is believed to be a citizen.

In a ruling earlier, Justice Abang ordered among others, that a House of Representatives member, Sani Dan-Galadima (representing Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara), who stood surety for the fleeing Faisal, should forfeit his property, worth N60million, which he pledged as a guarantee for the N60m bail bond he signed.

Maina is currently in EFCC custody. He is being prosecuted on 12 counts of money laundering to the tune of N2bn by the EFCC.

Justice Okon Abang ruled that the decision to grant the application was at court’s discretion.

The judge said such a plea was a ploy to waste the judicial time of the court, NAN reports.

Economics and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) lawyer, Farouk Abdullah, told the court that the matter was slated for continuation.

However, Anayo Adibe, Maina’s new counsel, objected on grounds that the legal team was just taking over the case and needed adequate time to prepare.

But Justice Abang noted that since the matter resumed on September 29, Maina did not appear in court until a bench warrant was issued against him.

The judge said the issue of fair hearing was not applicable because Maina was not just coming into the matter for the first time.

“The issue before the court has to be properly made not on a sentimental basis. The 1st defendant (Maina) jumped bail without reason to do so,” Abang held.

He noted that if Maina’s new counsel needed the case file, it was expected that the former counsel would hand over the file to the new lawyer.

“And if Joe Gadzama (former counsel) fails, the new counsel knows what to do. An administrative letter to a registrar cannot serve as a stay of proceeding. The new counsel cannot drag us into his own internal affairs”, Abang added.

Justice Abang, who noted that Maina had been offered adequate opportunity and time for his defence, refused to grant his application.

Maina was arraigned before Justice Abang, on October 25, 2019, by the EFCC alongside his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd.

He is facing a 12-count charged bordering on money laundering to the tune of N2 billion.

The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, found Olisa guilty on Tuesday while delivering judgement in the suit instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency charged Metuh with seven counts bordering on criminal diversion of the money received from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

Delivering judgement in the case, Justice Abang convicted the former PDP spokesman of count one of the charges.

He said “It is my view that Metuh took possession of the N400 million from the office of the NSA without contractual agreement; he is guilty of money laundering and is hereby convicted on count one.”