Former Bayelsa
State Governor, Timipre Sylva today
failed in the bid to repossess his international passport as Justice Adamu
Bello of the Federal High Court, Abuja
threw out his application for lack of merit.
Sylva had approach the court
for the release of his passport claiming that he needed the document to enable
him travel to the United Kingdom to be with his wife who is due to undergo a
surgical procedure.
At the last sitting, his
counsel told the court that the former governor had given an undertaking that
as soon as he returns from overseas, he will deliver the passport back to the
Registrar of the court.
The defence counsel further
told the court that the accused person surrendered himself voluntarily to the
court in June 2012 when the he was arraigned. He reminded the court that the
passport was released to the accused last year to enable him travel and that
upon his return, he promptly brought the said document to the court.
Prosecution counsel,
John Ainetor however opposed the application. He asked the court to dismiss the
application in the interest of justice. He said the accused did not need any
medical attention personally, but only wanted to accompany his wife who he
claims needed medical attention.
The EFCC counsel also
revealed that there were pending allegations against the accused person and his
wife and that the trip was a ploy to escape current investigation and possible
trial.
Justice Bello in his ruling
on Thursday May 30, 2013 dismissed the application on the grounds that the London doctors will deal
directly with accused wife and so the application lacks any urgency. The judge
also held that the letter from the London
Hospital was addressed to
No. 38 Malbrone Avenue,
London where the wife of the
accused is residing and so had no link with the former governor.
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