Maina paid $1.4m for Abuja mansion, pocketed N146m DTA —Witness

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecution witness testifying against Abdulrasheed Maina, the former chairman, Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, told the court how the accused allegedly paid $1,400,000 for a property he purchased through a proxy, Khalid Aliyu.

The EFCC which is currently prosecuting Maina in absentia on a 12-count charge of operating fictitious bank accounts, corruption, and money laundering to the tune of N2 billion, had brought on a seventh prosecution witness (PW7), Ali Sani, an Abuja-based estate developer, to testify against Maina.

Sani, while testifying, told the court that Maina, in February 2012, bought the property located on Plot 965 Life Camp, Abuja.

He recalled that upon the purchase, Maina demanded for the building plan approval, stating that he wanted to convert the building into a serviced apartment.
Ibrahim Abdulkareem who worked in the Permanent Secretary’s office, Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), also testified as the eight prosecution witness (PW8).

Abdulkareem who is currently a staff of Water Resources Ministry, told the court that Maina was deployed from the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to the Immigration/Prison Service Pension Office in Gwagwalada, Abuja, to chair the PRTT, in 2010.

Abdulkareem recalled that he was appointed as a representative of the Permanent Secretary’s office, to work with Maina.

Read also: Court revokes bail granted Maina’s son, Faisal, orders his arrest

He narrated that sometime in 2011, Maina presented an application for funds for nationwide biometric exercise, amounting to N146 million and directed him to sign, being a team member.

He said after the approval was given, Maina directed that the funds be sent to five different accounts of staff in the Permanent Secretary’s office.

Abdulkareem disclosed that N55,998,000 was wired into his own account, while the rest was transferred to four colleagues.

The witness said that all the sums were sent back to Maina in installments through Maina’s secretary, adding that Maina made the secretary to sign acknowledgments of receipt which have been submitted to the EFCC.

He further testified that Maina later directed him to tender the original acknowledgements but did not give any staff a “dime as Duty Tour Allowance for the biometric exercise.”

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