Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), on Friday, secured the permission of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to travel for medical check-up in the United Arab Emirate, where he had earlier lived in exile for about five years.
In 2015, shortly after leaving office, Adoke fled to the UAE, but when he returned to Nigeria, he was immediately arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on December 19, 2019.
The former minister has since been facing multiple charges, including money laundering, before various courts which had ordered the seizure of his passport as a bail condition.
Justice Ekwo, while ruling on Adoke’s application seeking permission to travel to the UAE, ordered the release of his passport to enable him travel to the Middle-East country on health grounds from December 15 and return on or before January 10, 2021.
Already, his trial alongside a businessman, Aliyu Abubakar, has been scheduled to resume before the court on January 11.
In granting Adoke’s request on Friday, Justice Ekwo rejected the objection raised by the prosecuting counsel, Bala Sanga.
The judge upheld the contention of Adoke’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), saying such application was within the discretion of the court to grant.
He said the application was granted allowing the ex-AGF to travel to UAE on health grounds.
The EFCC accused Adoke and Abubakar of using large sums of money, which allegedly formed part of their unlawful activities, and accepting the amounts exceeding stated threshold outside a financial institution in violation of the money laundering law.