Bail Conditions Meant To Keep Maina Perpetually In Detention – Northern Youths Coalition

The Northern Youth Coalition for Justice has condemned the bail conditions stipulated for erstwhile chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina describing the terms as framed to keep him in detention.

Coordinator of the group, Abubakar Umar Yola in a statement made available to GWG alleged bias on the part of the trial judge saying that it was on that basis that the accused initially sought to be tried by a different judge.

In the statement he said:

“It is apparently clear that the said presiding judge in the case between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Justice Okon Abang, has deliberately decided a way of keeping Abdulrashid Maina in continued detention. The bail conditions he offered are not just harsh but also mischievous as they are impossible to fulfill.

“The human right lawyer Femi Falana SAN had observed in a statement that such bail conditions have never been given to anyone before in the history of the judiciary.

“It is calculated and concocted in such a way that it is virtually impossible to fulfill such conditions by the defendant in the case before him.

Maina who is accused of multi-billion naira fraud was granted bail on the following terms:

-The Defendant is admitted to bail in the sum of one billion naira, two sureties in like sum.

-The sureties must be Nigerians and serving Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that do not have criminal cases pending in any Court.

-The two sureties may be from any of the six geo-political zones.

-The sureties must have properties in FCT with Certificate of Occupancy.

-The Chief Registrar of this Court shall in writing ascertain the validity or otherwise of the Certificate of Occupancy issued by the relevant Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory.

-The Sureties shall each submit three years of tax clearance certificate immediately preceding the Application.

-The Defendant shall deposit his US Passport and all other travel documents with the Chief Registrar of this Court.

-The Sureties shall undertake to appear in Court with the 1st Defendant, at all adjourned dates, pending conclusion of trial.

-Where at least one of the Sureties is not in Court with the Defendant, the Court shall be at liberty to revoke the bail of the 1st Defendant unless good and sufficient reasons are given for their absence.

-The Sureties shall each file affidavit of means with two passport photographs attached, stating their capability and capacity of paying the penal sum to the Federal Government or the Court, in the event of being called upon to do so.

-The Prosecution through the Investigating Police Officer, shall in writing ascertain the residence of the Defendant to be in Abuja, FCT.

The group thus averred that the conditions “are not meant to be fulfilled but to serve as an excuse for his continued detention citing his inability to meet the terms as reason for his detention. This is a display of personal interest by the Judge who is outrightly dancing to the tune of music being played to him by the EFCC.”

The group thus appealed to the judiciary authorities to compel Justice Abang to review the bail terms as the offences the defendant are accused of committing are bailable.

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