By Vivian Okejeme
Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced Faisal Maina, son of Abdulrasheed Maina, to seven years’ imprisonment.
The sentencing followed Faisal’s recent re-arrest and an ex-parte motion filed by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), M.K. Hussain.
Faisal was re-arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on October 14 and handed over to the EFCC after jumping bail and failing to attend his trial for about six years.
He was arraigned in 2019 before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form.
After pleading not guilty to the charges, Faisal jumped bail and absconded from trial. This prompted Justice Abang, now a Justice of the Court of Appeal, to proceed with the trial in his absence.
On October 7, 2021, Justice Abang convicted and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two.
The judge ordered that the sentences run concurrently and directed that Faisal be arrested wherever he was found and taken to a correctional centre to serve his jail term.
Following his re-arrest, the EFCC filed an ex-parte motion seeking the court’s permission to enforce Justice Abang’s judgment delivered against Faisal on October 7, 2021.
The commission asked the court to issue a warrant committing the convict to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) to serve his prison sentence.
The application was intended to facilitate the enforcement of the sentence imposed by Justice Abang, pursuant to the judgment delivered on October 7, 2021, and the Court of Appeal’s judgment of November 24, 2022.
The EFCC also sought an order directing that Faisal’s prison term should commence from October 14, 2026, the date of his re-arrest.
After hearing the application moved by Hussain, Justice Omotosho granted the request.
The judge ruled that, in line with the Court of Appeal’s decision of November 24, 2022, Faisal should serve three years’ imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three.
He further ordered that the sentences run concurrently, effective from October 14, 2026, the date of his re-arrest.
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