Lagos (WorldStage Newsonline)-- Justice Lateefat Folami of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja will on Friday decide whether to grant Mahmud Tukur, son of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; Abdullahi Alao, son of Ibadan based businessman, Alhaji Abdulazeez Arikesola-Alao leave to travel abroad.
The two men including Felix Ochonogor, director of Oil Marketing and Trading Companies (OM&Ts), who recently regained their freedom after meeting their bail conditions want the court to release their international passports to enable travel to France and England later this month for business engagements.
The accused persons who were arraigned in July by the Economic and Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo over their alleged roles in the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) fraud were specifically accused of conspiracy, obtaining money under false pretence, forgery and use of false documents.
In their joint application before the vacation Judge, Justice Folami, filed through their counsel, Olaniran Obele, they submitted that they needed to travel to Paris and London for business.
Specifically, Mahmud, the first applicant wanted to travel abroad to attend a board and committee meetings of which he is a director and also intend to perform the hajj.
Ochonogor, the second applicant also wanted to travel to Paris to enable him attend a bond holder meeting which should have allegedly hold last month but was rescheduled to August 27 to enable him attend and explain his present situation before the board.
To support their case, their counsel tendered three exhibits comprising Notices of Meetings which they intended to attend both in London and Paris while also promising the court that the applicants will not abscond if their application is granted,
The lawyer also submitted that they all have credible sureties like the first applicant's father who is PDP Chairman that stood surety for him and he would not want to jeopardise that.
"The second applicant was abroad when they were charged and was called by the first applicant and he came back for his arraignment voluntarily.
"When they were granted administrative bail, the second defendant travelled to Ukraine and did not abscond but came back for his arraignment," he said.
Opposing the application, EFCC counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo informed the court that Justice Onigbanjo's order asking the applicants to drop their International Passport had not been reviewed.
Oyedepo also argued that there was nothing in the exhibits tendered by the applicants that showed or suggested that the meeting to be attended by the second applicant had been rescheduled.
According to him, granting the applicants permission to travel could open escape route as was experienced in Ibori's case.
He therefore urged the court not to grant them permission to travel.
Justice Folami therefore adjourned ruling on the application till Friday.
