He revealed that the meeting with Maina aided in "solidifying (fraud) cases in terms of conviction".
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has revealed that he has no regrets meeting with wanted ex-pensions reform chief, Abdulrasheed Maina.
In a recent interview with The Interview magazine, the AGF said he met with Maina because he had information of national interest to offer his office, and that he would do it again.
He said, "If hundreds of Mainas believe that they have information to offer as far as the protection of the national interest is concerned, I will meet them and will do so again. It boils down to whether I have indeed acted or I have not acted."
He further revealed that the meeting with Maina aided in "solidifying (fraud) cases in terms of conviction".
Despite the presidency's insistence that President Muhammadu Buhari was not aware of the events surrounding Maina's controversial reinstatement to service, AGF Malami claimed in the interview that the president was aware of the meeting after it happened, presumably before Maina was reinstated in October 2017.
He said he informed that the president, "out of a desire to see for his directives relating to its application for the purpose of blocking leakages associated with the looting of pension funds."
DSS advised Malami to meet Maina
While appearing before the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing the Maina controversy on November 30, 2017, Department of State Services (DSS) chief, Lawal Daura, revealed that he had told Malami to meet with Maina abroad after the AGF asked for his advice.
He said, "The attorney general of the federation sometime in 2016 or 2015 - can't remember the exact day because it was not through a formal document - placed a call to me when he was outside the country and requested my advise on a request he got through a source that Maina wanted to meet him.
"He wanted me to advise him whether to agree to see Maina or not in that foreign country.
"I responded to the attorney general that he should accept to see Maina but he should not see him alone. He should see him with a third party."
Malami denies writing letter of reinstatement
While it is believed that Maina's meeting with Malami while he was in hiding led to his controversial recall last year, AGF Malami has denied writing the letter that started the process.
He told the House committee that the letter of reinstatement never had his authorisation despite bearing the seal of his office.
He also informed the committee that an investigation is already underway to determine how the letter was initiated and sent out, and that results of the investigation will be forwarded to the committee.
Maina's controversial reinstatement
In October 2017, Maina was recalled and promoted to head the Ministry of Interior's human resource department despite pending corruption charges against him.
This was after he was dismissed by the Federal Civil Service Commission in 2013 following a recommendation by the Office of the Head of Service.
In 2015, Maina was charged alongside former Head of Service, Steve Oronsaye, Osarenkhoe Afe and Fredrick Hamilton Global Services Limited before a Federal High Court on a 24-count charge bordering on procurement fraud and obtaining by false pretence through the award of fraudulent biometric contracts.
After he was declared wanted over an alleged N2 billion pension fraud, he fled abroad to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), evading the capture of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
AGF Malami; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau; the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji; and Head of Service, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, have all been implicated in the scandal.