Maina’s Trial: Court grants Ndume’s bail application

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, granted bail to Senator Ali Ndume, who was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Center, on Monday.

Ndume who represents Borno South Senatorial District was remanded in prison custody over his failure to produce the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, whom he stood surety for.

Maina is answering to a 12-count charge alongside his firm, Common Input Properties & Investment Limited, over their alleged involvement in money laundering, to the tune of N2billion.

The erstwhile pension reform boss had since September 29, refused to attend his trial, a development that led the trial court to remand his surety, Ndume, in prison custody.

Meanwhile, in a ruling on Friday, trial Justice Okon Abang granted an application Ndume filed to be released on bail, pending the determination of his appeal.

Though Justice Abang described an appeal the embattled lawmaker filed before the Court of Appeal in Abuja to challenge his remand, as “incompetent”, he said the trial court was minded to release him on bail considering that “he has been of good behaviour and conduct”.

The court, however, ordered him to produce one surety, who must be a respectable person that is resident within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

According to the court, the surety must be an owner of landed property in Abuja with evidence of ownership.

It ordered Ndume to deposit his International Passport to the Chief Registrar of the court pending the determination of his appeal.

More so, the court held that Ndume must sign an undertaking that he would within 10 days, compile and transmit the record of proceedings to the Court of Appeal.