By Frank Momoh
Justice Folashade Giwa Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, gave an order, authorising the federal government
to take over 23 properties belonging to the former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina.
This comes as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to arraign him on Friday, October 25, 2019 before Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Spokesperson for the commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, says the anti-graft agency will arraign him on 12-count charges, bothering on money laundering, operating fictitious bank accounts and fraud.
Also to be arraigned same day, in same court on a separate but similar charge is his son, Faisal.
The Justice Ogunbanjo forfeiture pronouncement was sequel to the exparte motion, filled by the EFCC, seeking Maina’s interim forfeiture of the properties to the Nigerian Government pending the completion of its investigations.
The affected properties are located in Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja; Kaduna, Sokoto, and Borno states.
The EFCC application also sought an order of the court to publish a newspaper advertisement on the properties, to enable anyone who has any reason why they should not be forfeited to federal government to indicate with prove of non-forfeiture application.
The EFCC motion was supported by a 30-paragraph affidavit, which it brought pursuant to Section 17, of Anti-Money Laundering Act.