N100 BILLION PENSION: FRAUD COURT REMANDS FORMER CHAIRMAN PENSION REFORM TASK TEAM, MAINA IN PRISON

The prosecution counsel, M S Abubakar, after taking the plea of the accused said the trial should begin, while the lawyer of the defendant Ahmed Raji, told the court that they filed a bail application on October 22 and served on parties at 3:19 p.m that day.

Penpushing further reports that, the counsel,  a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, told the court that  his client had been in custody for over five weeks, while the lawyer who represented Maina’s company, Adeola Adedipe, aligned himself with the submission of the first defendant’s counsel.

The prosecution said the defendants’ counsel was “putting the cart before the horse”, adding that, “the issue of bail can only arise when the matter is adjourned, explaining that,’my application before this court was not for an adjournment but to proceed with trial,”

“The charge was served on the two defendants on October 22, 2019. They had two clear days before today, so they should have prepared for trial. The hearing notice served on all the parties stated that parties should come to court prepared with their witnesses.”

Penpushing also reports that, Justice Obong  Abang in his ruling noted  that the first defendant be remanded in prison pending the commencement of trial, adding that, “the first defendant is given four days from today to prepare his defence,” he said. “The authority in charge shall give the defendant time to meet with his counsel.”

The court adjourned to October 30 for the commencement of trial declaring that,“the trial shall be day to day, no frivolous application for adjournment shall be entertained by the court”, while it also adjourned to November 19 for the argument of the bail application filed before  Maina’s arraignment.