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 (SAN), to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to celebrate the coming Christmas and New Year with his family.
Adoke secured the permission following successful arguments and persuasion by his counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), who 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 over money laundering charges brought against him by the federal government commenced, he had not been opportune to be with the family members who are residents of the UAE.
The senior lawyer pleaded passionately that the former AGF and Minister of Justice needed to spend time with his family to maintain his physical and mental health.
Although Adoke is facing a criminal trial, Agabi submitted that the law presumes him innocent until the contrary is established against him.
Besides, he further submitted that since his client was admitted to bail, he had been religiously and consistently attending the trial and had never behaved in any manner suggestive of an intention to jump bail.
In his ruling, Justice Inyang Ekwo agreed that Adoke had been attending the 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 to travel to the UAE.
Justice Ekwo ordered that the former AGF must return to Nigeria before January 11, 2024, for the continuation of his trial on the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) 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 a cash payment of $4 million from Faman Holdings Limited, through Abdulhakeem Uthman Mustapha, in September 2013.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Adoke made structured cash payments in tranches into his Unity Bank Account No. 0020153263.
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