The Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the conviction of Faisal, the son of Abdulrasheed Maina, the incarcerated ex-Chairman of the disbanded Pension Reform Taskforce Team (PRTT), for conspiracy and money laundering.
However, in a decision issued on Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court lowered his sentence from 14 years to seven years on the grounds that he is a first-time offender.
The court ruled in the lead judgment by Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu that Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Abuja was correct in convicting Faisal.
It was of the view that being a first time offender, the trial court ought not to have handed the convict the maximum punishment under the law.
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