N2bn fraud: Maina Used Sister’s Name To Run Secret Account, Witness Tells Court

The trial of former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, continued on Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

During the proceedings, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) called a business manager with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mairo Bashir, to give testimony as the first prosecution witness (PW1).

Bashir told Justice Okon Abang that Maina used his sister’s name to open a secret bank account with the UBA, through which funds were said to have been transferred.

She explained that the defendant passed off the account as belonging to his sister while he actually operated it.

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Esther Uzoma, the witness denied harbouring any ulterior motive in her testimonies.

Uzoma, according to a statement by EFCC’s spokesman Wilson Uwujaren, had accused the witness of nursing an ulterior motive by not revealing to the UBA authorities, as well as Maina’s huge monetary transactions – including documents containing the alleged deposits and withdrawals in local and foreign currencies by Common Input and Properties Ltd, said to be owned by the defendant.

In her response, the witness denied any ulterior motive in her testimonies.

Instead, she revealed that Maina presented a certificate of incorporation for Common Input and Properties Ltd, with his sister’s photograph and her personal details but endorsed the document with his own signature.

After listening to the testimony, Justice Abang adjourned the case until December 9, 10, and 11 for the continuation of the trial.

The EFCC is prosecuting Maina on 12 counts bordering on operating fictitious bank accounts, corruption fraud and money laundering to the tune of over N2 billion.