Court Grants Ex-PDP Chair, Bello Leave to Travel to UK for Checkup

Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 granted an application by Haliru Bello, former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, seeking to travel to London for medical checkup.
Bello’s counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, had in a motion dated April 5, 2018 and filed April 10, 2018 asked for leave of the court for the third defendant (Bello) to travel to London to keep to his medical appointment.
Moving the application today, O. Osoka, who held brief for Agabi further asked for interim release of the applicant’s international passport already custody of the court to enhance the travel.
The prosecution did not object to the application.
In his ruling, Justice Mohammed granted the application adding that, “since the matter is agreed to be adjourned to May 22, 2018 and the appointment of the third defendant is June 1, 2018, the third defendant shall not travel until after the proceedings of May 22”.
The court had earlier admitted in evidence ECO bank forwarding letter attached with statement of account, account opening package and certificate of identification as ‘Exhibit PW11a,b & c respectively.
The document was tendered through the 7th prosecution witness, Chidi Eboigbe, a compliance officer with ECO bank.
The defence had earlier objected to its admissibility on the ground that the documents were not frontloaded, and so not relevant. But, the prosecution represented by Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, had argued that the documents especially the statement of account and account opening package were frontloaded and all relevant authorities had been complied with.
The former PDP Chairman, his son, Bello Abba Mohammed and their Company, Bam Project and Properties Ltd are facing trial on a 4-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N300million, which they allegedly collected from the Office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) .