Six years after jumping bail and disappearing from trial, Faisal Maina has been arrested and ordered to prison to serve a seven-year sentence for money laundering and false asset declaration.
The long-running legal battle involving Faisal Maina, son of former pension reform boss Abdulrasheed Maina, has taken a dramatic turn, with the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering his immediate commitment to a correctional centre to serve his prison sentence.
Justice James Omotosho gave the order after granting an ex parte application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), seeking a warrant to enforce Faisal’s conviction for money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets.
The court also ruled that his prison term would run from October 14, 2026, the day he was rearrested, bringing an end to years of uncertainty surrounding the enforcement of his conviction.
Faisal was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on October 14 in the Karsana area of Abuja, about six years after he jumped bail and disappeared from court proceedings.
Moving the application, EFCC counsel, M.K. Hussain, urged the court to issue a warrant committing him to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) in accordance with the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
Granting the application, Justice Omotosho ordered Faisal to serve three years' imprisonment on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three.
The sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will serve a maximum of seven years, commencing from October 14, 2026.
Faisal's troubles date back to 2019, when he was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering and failure to fully disclose his assets in an asset declaration form.
He pleaded not guilty before the then trial judge, Justice Okon Abang. However, after being granted bail, he allegedly jumped bail and stopped appearing in court, forcing the trial to proceed in his absence.
On October 7, 2021, Justice Abang convicted him and handed down a five-year prison sentence on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
The judge also directed that Faisal be arrested wherever he was found and taken to a correctional facility to serve his punishment.
But the legal battle did not end there.
In a judgment delivered on November 24, 2022, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction but reduced the sentences to three years on counts one and three, and seven years on count two.
With his recent arrest and the latest order of Justice Omotosho, the authorities have now moved to enforce the appellate court's judgment.
His father, Abdulrasheed Maina, who was also convicted in a separate money laundering case involving about ₦2 billion, has since completed his prison sentence.
For Faisal, however, the years spent away from court have finally caught up with him, as he now faces the prospect of serving the seven-year term imposed by the appellate court.
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