A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced former chairman of the defunct Pension Reforms Task Team Abdulrasheed Maina to eight years imprisonment for laundering pension fund to the tune of N2 billion.
Justice Okon Abang, in his ruling on Monday, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had proven the essential ingredients of all the 12 counts preferred against Maina beyond reasonable doubt.
Delivering the judgment, the judge sentenced the ex-pension boss to three years in count one, five years in count two, eight years in count three, eight years in count four, two years in count five, five years in count six, and eight years in count seven.
Abang, who also sentenced Maina to three years in count eight, five years in count nine, eight years in count 10, three years in count 11 and three years in count 12, ordered that the terms of imprisonment shall run concurrently beginning from October 25, 2019, being the date he was arraigned.
The court found him guilty of inducing staff of Fidelity Bank to open bank accounts for him without conducting due process.
It also found him guilty of concealing his true identity as signatory to accounts opened in UBA and Fidelity Bank by using the identity of his family members without their knowledge.
These accounts have cash deposits of N300 million, N500 million and N1.5 billion.
Justice Abang also held that through Maina’s service as a civil servant, his salary and emoluments would not amount to the money in the accounts.
