The Federal Court of Justice in Abuja on Friday gave a former Federation Attorney General (AGF) and Justice Minister permission to Nice adoketo travel abroad for a medical examination.
Mr. Adoke, who is on trial with another defendant on money laundering charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had his passport on deposit under the bail he was given by the court.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the court has given Mr. Adoke permission to travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a medical examination from October 11th to November 15th.
The public prosecutor’s office, represented by Nnenna Oko, did not deny Mr. Adoke’s attorney Kanu Agabi.
In his judgment, the trial judge Inyang Ekwo ordered that his travel documents, in particular the passport deposited with the court as part of his bail orders, be handed over to him.
However, Mr. Ekwo granted the former AGF’s request and ordered that Mr. Adoke’s attorney, Kanu Agabi, make an undertaking on behalf of his client prior to the issue of the passport.
The judge also instructed the Federal Supreme Court’s Deputy Chief Chancellor to notify the Nigerian Immigration Service of the court’s order.
The court also ordered the ex-AGF on handed the passport to the court on his return to Nigeria.
The lawsuit was adjourned until December 6th, 7th and 8th to retrial.
background
On August 4, 2020, the EFCC had again indicted Messrs. Adoke and Aliyu Abubakar with a changed charge on 14 counts that bordered on money laundering.
Each of them pleaded not guilty on seven counts.
On count 9 of the counts, the EFCC alleged that Adoke, sometimes in 2013, in Abuja “made a cash payment of US $ 2,267,400 to Risslanudeen Muhammed” and thereby “committed an offense that was the combined effect of Section 16 (1) runs counter to. d) and § 19a) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2011 (as amended) and punishable under § 16 (2) (b) of the same law ”.
Messrs. Adoke and Abubakar, along with others, stand before the federal court and the FCT High Court in Gwagwalada, Abuja, along with others, regarding allegations of Malabu Oil fraud.
The Malabu Fraud
The Malabu scandal involved the transfer of approximately $ 1.1 billion from Shell and ENI by the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by a former Nigerian petroleum minister, Dan Etete.
Of the accounts Mr. Etete controlled, about half of the money ($ 520 million) went to accounts held by companies controlled by Aliyu Abubakar, popularly known in Nigeria as the owner of AA Oil.
Anti-corruption investigators and activists suspect that he served for top officials in the Goodluck Jonathan government, as well as officials from Shell and ENI.
The transaction was approved in 2011 by Mr Jonathan through some of his cabinet ministers and the money was payment for OPL 245, one of Nigeria’s richest oil blocs.
The oil resources of the OPL 245 license have remained untapped since the controversy began.
Eni opened international arbitration against Nigeria in September, alleging the government had violated its obligations by refusing to allow the company to develop its license, which expired in May.
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