“It sounds suspicious” – Court denies Timipreye Sylva passport to travel with wife for surgery

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, which is prosecuting Sylva over six counts of money laundering, had prayed the court to stop the former governor from undertaking the trip, describing it as a “ploy to escape justice”.

Refusing Sylva’s request, Justice Bello said there was no response to a referral letter, marked ‘Exhibit AA’, tendered by Sylva’s lawyer, purportedly written by a medical consultant at the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital to the Cromwell Hospital in the UK.

He said, “I observed that the referral letter written by a consultant at the University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital to the Cromwell Hospital in the United Kingdom was not replied by the UK hospital.”

Justice Bello observed that a letter rescheduling the date of the surgery, marked ‘Exhibit B’, had indicated that the planned operation was of an urgent nature.

Punch.