Court Grants Nnamani Permission to Travel Abroad for Checkup

 former Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday granted leave to the former Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, to travel overseas for medical check up.
Nnamani is standing trial alongside seven others, on 105-count charge bordering on MONEYlaundering.

The other accused are: Sunday Anyaogu, Rainbownet (Nig) Ltd, Hillgate (Nig) Ltd, Cosmos Fm, Capital City Automobile (Nig) Ltd, Renaissance University Teaching Hospital and Mea Mater Elizabeth High School.

They are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

At the resumed hearing of the case, the prosecutor, Mr. Kevin Uzozie, informed the court that the case was slated for trial, adding that he was prepared to proceed with the trial.

He also reminded the court that the matter was at the last date, adjourned at the instance of the accused, following ill health.

In response, counsel to the accused, Mr. Ricky Tarfa (SAN), informed the court of his pending application, seeking leave of court for the accused to be allowed to travel to
the United States for medical check up.
He noted that in the affidavit in support of his application, he had demonstrated that the accused already had missed two earlier medical appointments in January and October, due to his trial.

Tarfa argued that the position of the law was that an accused must be in proper medical condition to be able to stand trial, adding that adjournments had been granted in his favour, with the hope that his condition would improve.

He, however, informed the court that the condition of the accused had remained unchanged till date, since he had been in the country, without any medical check abroad.

He, therefore, said that in consequence of the development, he had filed the application seeking leave of court for the accused to follow up on his medical condition.

The prosecutor in response, told the court that although he was not opposed to the application for leave to travel abroad, he was however, concerned that the criminal matter had lingered on since 2007 without any progress.

He therefore, informed the court that he had filed an application for the trial of the first accused, to be separated from other accused, so that his health would not always stand as a clog in the criminal trial.

Uzozie added that whenever the accused was certified fit to stand trial, he would then be prosecuted.

Defence counsel in response, told the court that he had in opposition to the application by prosecution, filed a counter-affidavit, on the grounds that the trial cannot be separated.

He added that trial could only commence where there are no further applications before the court.

After listening to the submissions of counsels, Justice Mohammed Yunusa granted the application seeking leave for the accused to travel for medical check up as prayed.

The judge however, adjourned the matter to November 18 to hear arguments on the issue of separating the trial of Nnamani from other accused.

Source: ThisDay