The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted permission to a lawyer, Mr Ademola Adedipe, for permission to withdraw from the N2 billion money laundering case involving a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, Abulrasheed Maina.
Hinging his decision to quit the case on the grounds that his brief had not been perfected by his client Adedipe, who was appearing for the second defendant in the case, Common Input Property and Investment Ltd, a firm said to be owned by Maina.
Justice Okon Abang had on November 25, 2020, turned down the application by the lawyer to quit the case.
In declining the application for withdrawal at the previous proceedings, the judge said that the application had yet to arrive the court file from the registry.
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But acknowledging the application on Thursday, the judge issued an order discharging the lawyer from the case.
Maina, a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task team, is being tried in absentia having jumped bail for alleged two billion naira fraud and money laundering offenses.
Senator Ali Ndume, who stood as surety for Maina was remanded in prison by a court before he was granted bail on November 27.
Maina has now been re-arrested in the Niger Republic, the Nigerian police confirmed on Tuesday.
He is expected to be extradited soon into Nigeria to continue with his trial.
