The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed Thursday for the hearing of the bail application filed by Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, who has been detained in prison since Monday over his suretyship for Abdulrasheed Maina adjudged to have jumped bail.
Maina, a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on charges of money laundering involving N2bn.
On November 18, 2020, the judge, Justice Okon Abang, revoked the bail granted him, ordered his arrest, and directed that his trial would proceed in absentia.
The judge also on Monday remanded Ndume in prison until he produced Maina or paid the sum of N500m bail bond to the Federation Account.
Ndume, through his lawyer, Marcel Oru, had on Tuesday filed an appeal against the remand order at the Court of Appeal, along with an application for the bail of the defendant filed before Justice Abang.
The judge, in the course of the trial in the absence of Maina, on Wednesday, acknowledged the bail application filed by Ndume’s lawyer.
He said the bail application was brought to his attention at about 8.58am on Wednesday, disclosing that he had immediately directed that the matter be fixed for hearing on Thursday.
He also said he had directed that hearing notice for the Thursday’s proceedings be issued and served on the parties.
Although Ndume’s lawyer was not present in court, EFCC’s counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, confirmed that he had been served with the hearing notice.
Punch