BY Bolanle Olabimtan
Joe Gazama, counsel to Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), has filed an application to withdraw his appearance from the ongoing criminal trial.
At the commencement of proceedings on Thursday, Mohammed Abubakar, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), drew the court’s attention to a pending application before the court filed by the first defendant’s counsel seeking to withdraw legal representation for his client.
However, Okon Abang, judge of a federal high court, said the defence counsel ought to be in court to move his application.
Abang said the counsel has abandoned proceedings.
“It is their duty to come to court and move their application,” he said.
“The court only said that trial will continue in absence of the defendant. There is no appeal against that decision but he counsel chose to abandon proceedings.”
Also, Adeola Adedipe, counsel representing Maina’s company, Common Input Investment Limited, withdrew from the case on the grounds that he is yet to be paid for his services and he is unable to locate Maina.
“I adopt my notice of disengagement as counsel to the second defendant,” Adedipe said.
Delivering a bench ruling, the judge said: “Leave is hereby granted.”
Maina is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged money laundering to the tune of N2 billion.
The former PRTT chairman jumped bail which prompted the judge to order the arrest of Ali Ndume, senator representing Borno south.
Ndume had stood as surety for Maina so that he could be granted bail.
After about four days in custody, the court granted the legislator bail on November 27.
Abang had said though other grounds of Ndume’s bail application failed, the senator has a record of “good behaviour”.
Maina was arrested in Niger Republic on Monday.
The police said efforts are being made to extradite him.
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