Five days after he was remanded at the Kuje Correctional Center, the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, granted bail to the Senator Ali Ndume who stood surety for the fleeing former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina,
Ndume who represents Borno South Senatorial District was remanded in prison custody over his failure to produce Maina, whom he stood surety for but has jumped bail.
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 pending appeal.
Though Justice Abang described the appeal the embattled lawmaker filed before the Court of Appeal in Abuja as “incompetent”, he said the trial court was minded to release him bail considering that “he has been of good behaviour and conduct”.
The court 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.
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