The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Faisal Maina to be committed to a correctional centre to serve a seven-year prison sentence, starting from the date of his re-arrest on October 14, 2026.
Justice James Omotosho made the order after granting an ex parte application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), moved by the commission’s lawyer, M.K. Hussain, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.
Maina was convicted in 2021 on three counts involving money laundering and failure to make full disclosure in an asset declaration form. He had earlier been arraigned in 2019 but absconded after being granted bail, prompting the trial to proceed in his absence.
In its October 7, 2021 judgment, the court sentenced him to five years on counts one and three, and 14 years on count two, with the sentences to run concurrently. The Court of Appeal later varied the terms.
In the latest ruling, Justice Omotosho said the applicable sentences under the Court of Appeal’s November 24, 2022 decision were three years on count one, seven years on count two and three years on count three. The terms are to run concurrently from October 14, when Maina was re-arrested.
The EFCC sought the order to enforce the earlier judgments and have Maina transferred to the Nigeria Correctional Service to serve his sentence.
Maina is the son of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, who was also convicted in a separate money-laundering case.