COURT CASE AGAINST EX-PENSION BOSS FACES FRESH LEGAL CHALLENGE
By: Safiya Abdulrahim Dabban
The defence team of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman, Dr. Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, has asked the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory to stop further proceedings, insisting the case is an abuse of court process.
Counsel argued that the charge before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory arises from the same pension transactions for which Dr. Maina was previously tried, convicted, and has already served his sentence, stressing that continuing the case amounts to double jeopardy.
The defence maintained that once a matter has been concluded and punishment served, reopening it under a fresh charge linked to the same facts strips the court of jurisdiction and renders the prosecution invalid.
Reacting to media claims that Dr. Maina was avoiding court, his counsel dismissed the reports as false and malicious, clarifying that the case being discussed is the same one concluded years ago. He added that Dr. Maina has not refused to attend court and is currently hospitalised, a situation already communicated to the court with supporting medical records.