Ex-Pension boss, Abdulrasheed Maina.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has rejected a request by lead counsel, Chief Sani Katu, to withdraw from the legal team of the former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.
Maina is facing charges of laundering about N2bn.
He jumped bail and was arrested in the Niger Republic after failing severally, to appear for trial.
Mr Katu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, retained by Maina less than 2 months ago, in an oral application, sought the leave of the court to withdraw from the case
However, prosecution counsel, Farouk Abdullah, said the senior counsel ought to have complied with section 349(8) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
Section 349(8) of ACJA states that “where a legal practitioner intends to disengage from a matter, he shall notify the Court, not less than three days before the date fixed for hearing and such notice shall be served on the on the Court and alls”.
Ruling on the application, the judge, Okon Abang, agreed that the senior advocate did not comply with the provisions of the law.
He said the application was “done in bad faith, saying Katu did not offer any reason for seeking to withdraw from the matter.
His application to withdraw is to compound issues and to hold the court to ransom, he said while denying the application.