The Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, was again absent from the Federal High Court in Abuja where his trial on N2bn money laundering charges was scheduled to continue on Monday.
His absence from court on Monday was the fourth in a row since September 29 when the defendant’s trial was scheduled to resume in the court’s new legal year.
The judge, Justice Okon Abang, was absent from Monday’s proceedings.
The prosecuting and defence lawyers were present in court on Monday.
Maina’s bail surety, Senator Ali Ndume, who had last Friday, told the court that he could no longer find the defendant, was present in court too.
But the trial could not be held because of the absence of both the judge and Maina.
Lawyers and litigants present in court had waited for over an hour before a court official announced the packed courtroom that the judge would not be sitting.
The official said the judge was indisposed, adding that he had been instructed to have all cases on the cause list including that of Maina till Tuesday.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting Maina on 12 counts of money laundering involving about N2bn.
At the previous sitting on Friday, EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Farouk Abdullah, told the judge that the commission’s investigation had revealed that Maina was not at the hospital he claimed he was admitted.
He contended the development showed that the defendant had jumped bail.
He urged the court to issue a warrant of arrest against Maina and a summon on Ndume to show cause why he should not forfeit the bail bond.
