No Forensic Evidence To Prove Maina Stole Money – Lawyer

A lawyer and rights activist, Frank Tietie, has said that there’s no forensic evidence to prove that the former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Abdulrasheed Maina, stole any money.

Mr Tietie said this while reacting to the arrest of Maina on Wednesday.

“There is no forensic evidence to prove that Maina stole money directly”, he said in an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

He, however, noted that he was optimistic that with the arrest, Nigerians can now see an end to the “mysterious Maina saga”.

Tietie who believes the ex-pensions boss has enjoyed a lot of protection, also says he hopes that “all of those forces who have always wanted him, who have always been scared of him would now come and face him and he should be given the opportunity to say the whole truth”.

“Miana definitely has enjoyed some measure of cooperation from the state authorities in such a confusing manner.

“At a point he was declared wanted, only to be reported to be protected by the DSS,” he added.

Maina had been declared wanted by the EFCC for an alleged N2 billion fraud in November 2015.

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Afterward, he disappeared from the public glare only to resurface in October 2017 and was reinstated as a Director in the Ministry of Interior – a situation that sparked criticism from Nigerians.

Tietie, however, believes that the controversial reinstatement and seeming protection was a deliberate act to lure him into releasing some sensitive information.

In an exclusive interview with Channels TV, after his return, the ex-pensions boss had said that if given a chance, he could prove his innocence to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Beyond that, he also promised to uncover some proceeds of corruption within nine months.

“Mr President, I will give you information and documents that will fetch you over N3trillion now in Nigeria, give me nine months. Within the first three months, I will show you N1trillion just like I showed you N1trillion in this 2017,” Maina had said.

Tietie, on the other hand, believes that with the level of confidence exuded by Maina, he could indeed possess “sufficient intelligence with regards to the situation of pension”.

“I think he was reinstated as a bait, in order to allow him release all of those sensitive information he has, to bust corruption,” he added.

He, therefore, urged the EFCC to do a thorough job before it proceeds to arraign him, while also calling on the DSS to use the opportunity to also clear itself on the allegations that it had been protecting Maina.