Alleged ₦80.2bn Fraud: Yahaya Bello Seeks Court Approval For Overseas Medical Trip
The immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to release his international passport to enable him to travel abroad for a medical check-up.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on allegations of money laundering amounting to ₦80.2 billion.
During the resumed hearing on Friday, the defendant’s lead counsel, J.B. Daudu (SAN), filed an application requesting the retrieval of Bello’s travel documents, citing the defendant’s medical needs.
The prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), opposed the application and told the court that a counter-affidavit had been filed to this effect.
He argued that the application was technically incompetent, other adding that a similar application had already been filed at the FCT High Court, describing it as an abuse of court process.
In response, Daudu countered that it was the prosecution that was guilty of abusing court processes.
He said, “We were served with the counter-affidavit yesterday, and overnight, we filed a further affidavit addressing the complainant’s counter-affidavit, supported by two exhibits.
“My Lord, the substance of this application is the release of my client’s international passport in accordance with the bail conditions, which require court approval for travel. He has pressing medical needs to attend to during the court’s vacation period. After eight years without travelling, he needs to address specific aspects of his health,” Daudu added.
Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the case to July 3 and 4 for the continuation of the trial and set July 21 for the ruling on the travel application.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
