Court Grants Justice Ajumogobia, Obla Leave To Travel Abroad For Medical Treatments
Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos High Court sitting in the Ikeja Thursday granted suspected judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia and Godwin Obla (SAN) permission to travel abroad for urgent medical attention.
Justice Oshodi granted the duo leave to travel abroad after listening to two separate applications they filed through their lawyers.
Justice ofili-Ajumogobia had through her lawyer, Olawale Akoni sought the leave of the court to travel to New York in the US for urgent medical attention for high blood pressure, hypertension, palpitations, and stress related issues.
The judge also granted a similar application by the second defendant, Godwin Obla SAN to travel to Houston, Texas in the US for medical treatment.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Godwin Obla before the court on a 30-count charge of conspiracy to pervert justice by allegedly giving and receiving a bribe of N5 million.
The anti-graft agency had also alleged that about $793,800 passed through the Justice Ajumogobia’s domiciliary accounts with Access Bank between 2012 and 2015 and that she allegedly used the money to buy a house in London.
Five of the charges are centered on an alleged N5m bribe given to the judge by the senior advocate while the remaining 26 charges are on the huge amounts that passed through the accounts of Ofili-Ajumogobia and her alleged inability to explain her source of wealth.
The other charges filed against the judge border on forgery, lying, unlawful enrichment and other related offenses.
They both pleaded not guilty to the charge.
During Thursday’s proceedings, counsel to EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, had countered the judge application, contending that if granted leave to travel, she might jump bail and not come back to face her trial.
He also contended that the request to travel for thirty days was a ploy to stall the trial.
But in a Ruling on the application, Justice Hakeem Oshodi pointed out that the prosecution failed to lay evidence that judge sickness could be treated in Nigeria. The judge also declared that the prosecution did not show how the defendant would jump bail
In exercising his judicial discretion to grant the leave, Justice Oshodi held that the first defendant being a Federal High Court Judge has a lot to lose if she jumps bail. He was satisfied that she would make herself available for her trial.
He then ordered the Chief Registrar to release the international passports of the defendants to enable them travel abroad between June 7th to June 30th, 2017.
The court also ordered that the defendants must return the passport to the Chief Registrar on or before July 1, 2017″, .After the ruling, the EFCC called the tenth prosecution witness, a legal practitioner, Charles Musa who pleaded client solicitor Privileges after admitting that he drew up a draft agreement for Justice Ajumogobia in respect of a property. He however denied actually drawing up the agreement or signing same on the grounds that the judge did not get back to him after his draft.
The EFCC has however tendered in evidence a deed of agreement between Ajumogobia’s company, Nigel and Colive and another company, County and City Bricks, purportedly drawn by the witness.
Justice Oshodi thereafter adjourned the matter till July 7 for continuation of trial.
