Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to Faisal, the 20-year-old son of former Chairman of defunct Pension Reform Task Team (PRTM), Abdulrasheed Maina.
Justice Okon Abang, in a ruling on Tuesday, granted Faisal bail for N60 million and a surety in like sum.
Justice Abang said the surety could be from any part of the country, but must be a serving House of Representatives member who must have landed property in Abuja.
The judge said the surety must undertake to accompany the defendant to court at every proceedings till the end of the trial and that should the surety be absent in court without any justifiable reason, the bail shall be revoked.
He said the surety must produce a three-year tax clearance certificate and a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) on the property.
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“The Chief Registrar of this court shall ascertain the validity of the occupancy of the property,” Justice Abang said.
The judge ordered that the defendant’s American and Nigerian international passports be deposited with the court’s Chief Registrar.
He said the investigating police officer (IPO) should verify the information provided by the surety, who must also submit two recent passport photographs to the court.
The court had earlier fixed November 29, 2019 for ruling on Faisal’s case, but the judge elected to deliver it on November 26 on the ground that since it was ready before the scheduled date and parties were in court, he had the discretion to bring the delivery date forward.
Faisal, who is said to be a final-year university student in Dubai, was arraigned before the court on October 25, 2019, on a three-count charge of money laundering and related offences.
His father is also being tried before the same court on related offences in a separate 12-count charge.
In earlier proceedings, Justice Abang gave a ruling in case involving Faisal’s father, and admitted some documents, mostly bank statement, tendered by the prosecution, but which the defence objected to.
The judge adjourned further proceedings in both cases till November 27, 2019.
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