A Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos has ordered the release of the international passport of a Former Governorship Candidate in Kwara State, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dele Belgore.
The court on Thursday ordered the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court to release the passport to enable Mr Belgore attend an international conference in Kenya.
Mr Belgore was arraigned on February 8, 2017, on five counts alongside a former Minister of National Planning, Prof of Political Science and International Relations, Prof Abubakar Sulaiman.
In one of the counts, the EFCC accused Belgore and Sulaiman of making two separate cash payments of N450m and N50m on March 27, 2015, without going through any financial institution.
The EFCC also claimed that the defendants paid the N50m to one Sheriff Shagaya.
The EFCC said the cash sums were above the lawful threshold permitted by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
The EFCC also claimed that the defendants “ought to have reasonably known that the N450m and N50m formed part of proceeds of an unlawful act.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges and they were subsequently admitted to bail on self-recognisance.
One of the conditions for bail was that they should deposit their international passports with the court and they are not to travel without first obtaining the permission of the court.
Mr Belgore had written to the court to apply for the passport to enable him travel for the conference.
The EFCC did not object to the request and the court subsequently granted it
Justice Rilwan Aikawa also ordered that one he Passport must be returned to the court by April 4 failing which appropriate sanctions will be applied.
