Maina’s request for adjournment, Rejected
The Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the request by a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, for an adjournment to prepare for his defence.
Justice Okon Abang on Tuesday ruled that the request was a ploy to waste the judicial time of the court.
The judge had earlier on December 4, 2020, adjourned the N2bn money laundering case till Tuesday based on a request by Maina’s new lawyer, Mr Adaji Abel, who pleaded that he needed more time to enable him to prepare for the case.
The judge, before adjourning the matter on December 4 proceedings till Tuesday, ordered Maina to be remanded in the correctional centre.
The judge made the remand order after the defendant, who was said to have jumped bail and fled to Niger Republic, was extradited to Nigeria and returned to the court that day.
At the Tuesday sitting, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecuting counsel, Mr Farouk Abdullah, was about to invite the ninth prosecuting counsel, Rouqquaya Ibrahim, to continue her testimony when the defence lawyer raised an objection.
He said the defence had applied for the court’s record of previous proceedings via a letter sent to the court’s registry but had yet to be given by the court registry.
He said the records were needed by the defence to continue with the case.