The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja Monday, ordered Sen. Ali Ndume to be remanded in Kuje Correctional facility for failing to produce the former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Force, Mr Abdulrasheed Maina for trial.
The order was made at the resumed trial in Abuja by Justice Okon Abang, the presiding judge in the matter.
Maina is standing trial on alleged money laundering charges to the tune of N2 billion.
He has since pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N500 million and a surety in like sum, who must always appear in court for his trial.
But in a bench ruling on Monday, the judge ordered Maina surety Ndume, to be remanded at the Kuje Correctional facility pending the time he was able to fulfill the bail bond or produce Maina in court.
By that order, Ndume’s is on the verge of forfeiting his N500 million to the federal government.
The court pronouncement also empowered the federal government to sell Ndume’s property at Asokoro in order to recover the N500 million naira bond.
This medium reports that the court had last week adjourned to Monday for Ndume to give reasons why he should not be remanded or forfeit the bail bond he signed guaranteeing Maina’s presence in court for trial.
Ndume deposed to the said bail bond on May 5.
In the ruling, Justice Abang held further that the Senator shall be released from Kuje Correctional Centre once he is able to pay the money or if the prosecutor is able to dispose of the property and payment made to the federal government coffer.
Maina, who was supposed to appear in court for continuation of his trial in the alleged N2bn money laundering, has allegedly jumped bail.
This medium reports that Maina has not appeared in court for the fifth time for trial since September, an action which now forced the court to revoke his bail and ordered his arrest anywhere he was sighted.
Ndume stood surety for Maina in the alleged corruption charges peddled against the latter by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The EFCC’s Lawyer, Mohammed Abubakar, had, on Nov. 18, asked the court to make an order for the lawmaker to forfeit the bail bond since Maina, who he stood as surety for, had jumped bail.
Abubakar also asked the court to revoke Maina’s bail and issued a warrant of arrest on him.
After granting the applications by the EFCC on Maina, the court gave Ndume an opportunity to appear with his legal representation and adjourned till December 23.
