Abuja Court Gives Tough Conditions For Granting Chinese National, Li Yang Ping’s Application To Travel For Medicals
Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on January
18, 2019 gave stringent conditions for granting Chinese national, Li
Yan Ping’s application to travel out of Nigeria for medicals.
Ping is standing trial for a $300,000 money laundering charge leveled
against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC after
intelligence report led to his arrest at the Nnamdi Azikwe
International Airport, Abuja for failing to declare the said sum of
money in his possession, as he attempted to board a flight en route
Dubai.
He had applied through his counsel, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, in a motion
dated August 20, 2018 seeking for the release of his international
passport, to enable him travel to China for three weeks for medical
check-up.
Prosecuting counsel, G.K. Latona, had argued against the application
noting that it did not have any supporting document, like a medical
request from the hospital in China, “only a referral on the instruction
of the defendant from Nisa Premier Hospital”.
“It is a cocktail of lies and half truths made to deceive this honourable court,” he said.
However, at today’s proceeding, Justice Quadri after considering all
the arguments, granted the application of Ping to travel for a period of
three weeks, stressing that “the crux of the matter is whether the
applicant in this case has placed credible proof before this court in
support of the request to travel abroad for medical treatment as one of
the conditions granted the defendant is that his international passport
be deposited in court and during the course of the trial the
international passport has been used as an exhibit”.
The trial judge further held that: “Sufficient evidence shows that
the defendant needs medical attention, however, these are minor health
conditions despite the referral from the Chinese National Hospital.
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