Justice of the Federal High Court in Lagos, Mohammed Aikawa, has granted a former Minister of State for Finance Nenadi Usman leave to travel abroad for medical treatment.
Usman is facing charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alongside former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode, Yusuf Danjuma, a former National Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) and Jointrust Dimentions Nigeria Ltd.
The EFCC had preferred against the accused a 17-count charge of laundering about N4.6 billion.
Justice Aikawa on Wednesday, ruled that Usman was permitted to travel to the United States for three weeks, between July and August, but must surrender her passport to the court not later than Aug. 31.
Counsel to Fani-Kayode, Norrison Quakers (SAN), told the court that it was yet to rule on his application for the case to be moved to the Abuja division of the court.
Quakers maintained that the application was filed on the day of re-arraignment of the accused, and had been received and acknowledged by the EFCC, despite the court saying that the application was not in its file.
He noted that the application was jurisdictional in scope and should be determined before trial could commence.
Responding, Rotimi Oyedepo, the prosecution counsel, argued that Quakers’ position was not correct in law.
He said that it would amount to alteration of the law, to say that the substantive issue, which is the allegation as contained in the charge, cannot be taken without determining the application.
Oyedepo said that Section 396 of the ACJL is higher in hierarchy and takes precedence over the practice direction.
Oyedepo submitted that the application cannot constitute a stay in the case.
In a bench ruling, Justice Aikawa upheld the prosecution’s argument.
