SAN FRANCISCO, December 05, (THEWILL) – Relief came on Thursday for embattled former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, as a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted his request to travel to South Africa for medical treatment.
Currently standing trial before the court on a six-count charge bordering on a N2 billion loan allegedly secured to augment the salary of the state’s civil servants during his tenure, Sylva is accused of allegedly conniving with some state officials and others said to be at large to defraud the state of N2 billion.
Upon his not-guilty plea, he was admitted to bail but his international passport was deposited with the court as part of the bail conditions. However, Sylva had through his counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), applied for the release of his traveling documents to enable him travel abroad for medical treatment.
Fagbemi had submitted that since the court had admitted Sylva to bail, then the leave to travel on medical ground was not harmful as he maintained that Sylva had to be strong to attend his trial.
But the prosecution counsel, John Ainetor, had opposed the application, saying it was a ploy to frustrate the fresh criminal trial that is coming up in another court.
Hoewever, in his ruling on the application Thursday in Abuja, the trial judge, Justice Adamu Bello, held that since the fresh trial would come up on January 23, 2014, he (Sylva) had the ample opportunity to travel for his medical treatment and come back before the date.
“I have decided to give the applicant accused a benefit of doubt that he needs a medical treatment in South Africa,” the judge said as the court further held that the applicant be given 28 days starting from December 7 and that he should return on or before January 5, 2014.
He also held that an undertaken should be written by a surety that the applicant would return on the agreed date to face his trial, failure of which the surety would take his place and be remanded in prison pending when the governor would come back.
The court therefore adjourned till January 16, 2014.
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