The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Faisal Abdulrasheed Maina, son of former Pension Reform Task Team chairman Abdulrasheed Maina, and handed him over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Faisal was reportedly apprehended in the Karsana area of Abuja after security operatives received intelligence indicating that he had secretly returned to Nigeria. He had been on the run since 2020 after breaching his bail conditions during a money laundering trial.
In October 2021, the Federal High Court in Abuja convicted Faisal in absentia and sentenced him to 14 years’ imprisonment over money laundering charges.
However, the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction in November 2022 but reduced the sentence to seven years, ruling that the maximum penalty imposed by the lower court was inappropriate for a first-time offender.
The case involved allegations relating to funds deposited into a bank account operated in the name of Alhaji Faisal Farm 2, through which investigators said money was withdrawn by Faisal and his father.
His transfer to the EFCC is expected to facilitate the enforcement of the court’s judgment.
