The Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday granted  Abdullahi Babalele permission  to embark on a trip outside the country.

Babalele,  ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s son-in-law, is facing money laundering charges before Justice C.J. Aneke.

Justice Aneke granted Babalele’s application to travel out and adjourned further proceedings in the case till April 23.The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Babalele on two counts, wherein he was accused of laundering $140,000 in the build-up to the 2019 general elections, in which his father-in-law was a presidential candidate.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Babalele “procured Bashir Mohammed to make a cash payment of $140,000 without going through any financial institution.”

The prosecuting counsel for the EFCC, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, said the money exceeded the threshold stipulated by the money laundering law.

He said Babalele made the transaction on February 20, 2019 in contravention of Section 18 (c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and was liable to be punished under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

But Babalele pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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