Adeola Adedipe, a lawyer, representing fleeing former Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) chairman Abulrasheed Maina in his ongoing trial for money laundering has applied to withdraw from the case.
Jomog News Nigeria reports that the lawyer who claimed he has not been paid by his client, told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday at the resumption of proceedings in the case, that he has filed a notice, signifying his intention to withdraw from further representation of his client.
This came barely 24hours after the judge ordered that Senator Ali Ndume who stood surety for Maina be remanded in Kuje Custodial Centre of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCOS) for failure to produce Maina.
The Senator had been given the options of either being remanded in prison custody or forfeiting the N500 million bail bond to the Federal Government by paying the sum into the federation account until Maina is produced in court.
As a consequent, Ndume has been arrested and remanded for his failure to choose any of the options.
Maina is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) , alongside his firm, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, on a 12-count of operating fictitious bank accounts, corruption, and money laundering to the tune of N2 billion, for which the commission has so far called six witnesses.
He was granted bail in the sum of N1 billion on November 26, 2019, which was later varied on January 28, 2020, to N500 million with a senator as surety, and further varied on June 29, 2020, leading to a volunteer by Ndume as his surety.
Since his release on bail, the trial has been adjourned on four consecutive occasions without Maina making an appearance.
Meanwhile, the court on November 18, 2020, issued a bench warrant on Maina anywhere he is sighted, revoked his bail, and ruled to try him in absentia.
The lawyer also apologised to the court for being absent from proceedings during some of the recent adjournments.
In his ruling, Justice Abang, who on the previous day, held that, by being absent in court, Adedipe had abandoned proceedings, said that the notice the lawyer claimed to have filed was not in the court’s file.
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