The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared the former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, wanted over allegations of fraud, and diverting pension funds for his personal use.
The commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed this development to THISDAY in a telephone conversation monday.
Uwujaren said Maina was wanted for his role in the fraudulent biometric contracts through which he and former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye, and two others allegedly stole over N2billion of pension funds.
The anti-graft agency had recently arrested two staff of Fidelity Bank Plc. believed to be accomplices of the embattled chairman who is currently being tried for fraud.
The bankers, Danjuma Zubairu, Group Head of Private Banking, and Abubakar Gwambe, Account Head were accused of assisting Maina to launder stolen funds. through the bank.
A source within the commission hinted that EFCC investigations had revealed new evidence which indicted the bankers, adding that the bankers expected to report periodically to the commission for further interrogation.
Uwujaren, who confirmed that the commission had secured new evidence against Maina, said revelations from interrogation of the two bankers were particularly implicative.
Maina was on July 21, 2015 charged alongside Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamiltonb Global Services Limited before a Federal High Court on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence.
While Oronsaye and two others were in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge, Maina had been at large.
However on July 21 when the court heard the bail applications of the accused persons, Maina through his counsel, Esther Uzoma, told the court that he was not at large, claiming that the EFCC had never invited him.
Consequently, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) pleaded with the court to prevail on the counsel to the accused to produce Maina in court as the commission had no clues of his whereabouts.
The commission however implored anyone with information on Maina’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices in Lagos, Abuja, Gombe, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu or report at the nearest police station.
Credits:Thisday
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