Ex-minister seeks court docket’s permission to journey overseas, EFCC opposes request

A former Minister of Energy and Metal, Olu Agunloye, who’s going through trial on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Excessive Court docket, Apo, in Abuja, has requested permission to journey overseas for medical remedy.

The court docket seized Mr Agunloye’s passport to grant him a N50 million bail after his arraignment on fraud fees in January.

On Monday, he urged the court docket to launch the passport so he may journey overseas on well being grounds, promising to return to Nigeria to proceed going through his trial after his remedy.

Nonetheless, the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), the company prosecuting him, opposed the applying at Monday’s listening to earlier than the trial decide, Jude Onwuegbuzie.

Mr Agunloye, who served within the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, is going through prosecution for alleged fraud relating to the failed $6 billion Mambilla Hydroelectric Energy Venture.

The EFCC charged him with seven counts, together with fraudulent contract award, forgery, disobedience of a presidential order, and corruption.

Mr Agunloye, 75, denied all of the seven counts.

Medical journey

EFCC’s Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, summarised in a press assertion Monday’s continuing the place events argued Mr Agunloye’s utility for a medical journey.

Based on the assertion, Mr Agunloye’s lawyer, Adeola Adedipe, a

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), mentioned his consumer wanted pressing medical consideration overseas.

Nonetheless, the particular particulars, such because the vacation spot of the deliberate journey and the medical situations Mr Agunloye intends to deal with overseas, weren’t talked about in EFCC’s assertion.

The defence lawyer offered 5 paperwork supporting his consumer’s abroad medical remedy utility.

The paperwork, marked Displays A to E, included medical studies from College Faculty Hospital, Ibadan in Oyo State, and the NISA Premier Hospital, Abuja.

In addition they included a letter from the Federal Highway Security Fee (FRSC) and an invite from a overseas medical analyst requesting him to journey overseas for an pressing medical analysis and a focus.

The defence counsel maintained that Mr Agunloye required pressing and specialised medical consideration, which is unavailable in Nigeria.

EFCC’s opposition

Nonetheless, the EFCC’s prosecution counsel, Abba Mohammed, opposed the applying.

He offered a counter-affidavit deposed to by Hussain Babangida, a prosecution witness and an investigator with the EFCC, urging the court docket to refuse to grant the applying as a result of Mr Agunloye may very well be a flight danger.

He alleged that through the investigation of the case, Mr Agunloye demonstrated unwillingness to current himself for trial till he was declared needed.

EFCC declared Mr Agunloye needed in December 2023.

Mr Agunloye, who surrendered himself for interrogation on 13 December 2023, a day after he was declared needed, mentioned he had not obtained any formal invitation from the fee.

In January, Mr Agunloye’s lawyer additionally denied the allegation of the previous minister’s tendency to evade trial when the prosecution raised the identical level to oppose his bail utility after his arraignment.

The defence lawyer mentioned on the time that it was a notion of the prosecution that was “borne out of false impression and communication barrier”.

The decide granted him bail on some situations, together with the seizure of his passport and a N50 million bail bond.

EFCC’s lawyer maintained at Monday’s listening to that releasing Mr Agunloye’s passport to allow him to journey overseas may impede justice, given the severity of the fees and the potential danger of the defendant absconding.

The EFCC’s lawyer concluded his submission, “We predict our noble lord to dismiss the defendant’s utility on the credit score of the complainant’s counter affidavit.”

The decide fastened 17 July for ruling on the previous minister’s utility.

The case

Mendacity on the coronary heart of the case is the failed $6 billion hydropower contract, which dates again to Could 2003.

The challenge, supposed to generate 3,960 megawatts of electrical energy, was designed to be executed on a construct, function, and switch foundation.

Mr Agunloye is standing trial on fees stemming from the style during which he awarded the failed contract and favour he allegedly obtained from the beneficiary of the contract.

In one of many seven counts filed by the EFCC, the fee accused him of awarding the contract in Could 2003 for the development of three,960 megawatts (MW) Mambilla Hydroelectric Energy Station on a ‘Construct, Function and Switch foundation’ “with none budgetary provision, approval and money backing”.

EFCC mentioned the award of the contract to Dawn Energy and Transmission Firm Restricted (SPTCL) constituted an offence opposite to and punishable below Part 22(4) of the Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Act, 2000.

READ ALSO: EFCC chairman orders arrest of officers for assaulting girl throughout resort raid

It additionally charged Mr Agunloye with corruptly receiving N3.6 million from Dawn Energy firm in August 2019, years after leaving workplace, for the purported approval of the federal authorities for the award of the contract to the corporate.

EFCC mentioned this act can be opposite to and punishable below Part 8(1)(a) and (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Act, 2000.

In March, the Federal Excessive Court docket in Abuja, a court docket with coordinate jurisdiction because the FCT Excessive Court docket the place Mr Agunloye is going through prosecution, dismissed his swimsuit alleging abuse of his basic rights and in search of to be shielded from investigation and trial.