By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted permission to former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to celebrate the coming Christmas and New Year holidays with his family.
Adoke secured the permission following successful arguments and persuasion by his lawyer, Kanu Agabi SAN.
Agabi, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had in a motion, pleaded with the Court to invoke sections 36 and 37 of Nigeria’s Constitution to grant the request of his client.
He submitted that since the trial of Adoke in money laundering charges brought against him by the federal government commenced, he had not been opportuned to be with the family members who are resident in UAE.
The senior lawyer pleaded passionately that the former Minister of Justice needed to spend time with his family to maintain his physical and mental health.
Although Adoke is facing criminal trial, Agabi submitted that the law presumed him innocent until contrary is established against him.
Besides, he further submitted that since his client was admitted to bail, he had been religiously and consistently attending trial and had never behaved in any manner suggestive of intention to jump bail.
In his ruling, Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo agreed that Adoke had been attending trial and had never attempted to jump bail adding that he was persuaded to grant the request.
The Judge thereafter ordered that Adoke’s passport deposited with the Registry of the Court be released to him for the purpose of traveling to UAE.
Justice Ekwo ordered that the former AGF must return to Nigeria before January 11, 2024 for continuation of his trial in the charges against him.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the erstwhile AGF alongside an oil mogul, Aliyu Abubakar, on a 14-count charge.
In the charge, EFCC alleged that Adoke had sometime in August 2013, in Abuja, accepted a cash payment of the dollar equivalent of N300 million from Aliyu, and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 (as amended).
Whereas Abubakar was also accused of accepting cash payment of the sum of $4 million from Faman Holdings Limited, through one Abdulhakeem Uthman Mustapha, in September 2013, EFCC alleged that Adoke made structured cash payment in tranches into his Unity Bank Account No. 0020153263.