Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on Friday ordered that his travelling documents, especially his passport deposited with the court as part of bail conditions should be released to him.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted permission to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, to travel to the United States of America (USA) for medical examination.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on Friday ordered that his travelling documents, especially his passport deposited with the court as part of bail conditions should be released to him.
Justice Ekwo ordered Adoke to return the passport within three days of his return to the country.
The former minister had in his application, dated February 24, 2022 said he needed the passport to process his “medical visa for entry into the USA to honour a scheduled medical appointment for lumbar spondylosis at the Spine Institute, Euclid Avenue, Cleveland Hospital, Ohio, USA.”
Adoke and Aliyu Abubakar, a businessman, were re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on August 4, 2021 on an amended 14 counts bordering on alleged money laundering.
The anti-graft agency is prosecuting Adoke and six others on charges including bribery involving the Malabu Oil scam.
Apart from Aliyu Abubakar (second defendant), EFCC is also prosecuting Rasky Gbinigie (third defendant), who has been described as the secretary of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited; Malabu Oil and Gas Limited (fourth), Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited (fifth), Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep Limited (sixth) and Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited (seventh).
The Malabu deal involved alleged fraudulent transfer of the highly lucrative Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245 to Malabu in 1998 and subsequently to Agip and Shell.