Court rejects Bauchi AG’s request to travel abroad amid N1.6bn trial

Justice O.A. Egwuatu of the Federal High Court sitting successful Abuja on Tuesday refused an exertion filed by the Accountant General of Bauchi State, Sirajo Muhammad Jaja, seeking support to question to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for spiritual pilgrimage and aesculapian check-up portion his ongoing proceedings continues.

Jaja is presently being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alongside Aliyu Abubakar, an alleged unlicensed bureau de alteration operator, connected an amended five-count complaint bordering connected wealth laundering and alleged conversion of funds belonging to the Bauchi State Government.

The alleged sum progressive successful the lawsuit is N1,635,270,350.90, which the prosecution says represents proceeds of unlawful fiscal transactions.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, aft the cross-examination of the archetypal prosecution witness, Abimbola Williams, a compliance serviceman with the United Bank for Africa, UBA, defence counsel Chris Uche, SAN, informed the tribunal that his lawsuit had filed an exertion seeking impermanent merchandise of his planetary passport to alteration him question for 2 weeks.

According to the defence, the petition was for Jaja to undertake the lesser Hajj successful Saudi Arabia arsenic good arsenic be to aesculapian needs, adding that the prosecution had already responded to the motion.

However, prosecution counsel Abba Mohammed, SAN, opposed the application, arguing that th...