Olayiwola Matthew
The Managing Director of SunTrust Bank Ltd, Halima Buba, has approached a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking permission to temporarily leave Nigeria for medical treatment in the United States, citing complications with her pregnancy.
Buba, who is standing trial alongside her Executive Director and Chief Compliance Officer, Innocent Mbagwu, on a six-count money laundering charge bordering on an alleged $12 million fraud, made the request before Justice Emeka Nwite through her counsel, Johnson Usman (SAN).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned both defendants on July 13, 2025. Each was granted bail of N100 million with one surety and ordered to deposit their international passports with the court registry.
In a motion filed on February 3, Buba sought three reliefs: a variation of her bail conditions, the temporary release of her international passport, and a directive to the court registrar to facilitate access to her travel documents for medical purposes.
According to her supporting affidavit, Buba registered her antenatal care at Deda Hospital in Jahi, Abuja, where a chief medical officer reportedly discovered complications and referred her to Bridge Clinics — a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist facility at Indiana University Health in Carmel, Indiana. She had initially proposed to travel on February 15 and return before the end of the month.
Buba assured the court she had never violated her bail conditions, had consistently attended proceedings, and would return to Nigeria promptly after treatment. She pledged not to jump bail if the application was granted.
However, the EFCC pushed back firmly. Prosecution counsel Ogechi Ujam described Buba’s depositions as false, speculative, and misleading. She argued that the medical documents submitted failed to demonstrate that Nigerian healthcare was incapable of managing Buba’s condition, and that no Nigerian doctor had recommended foreign treatment. Ujam also noted there was no confirmed medical appointment at the proposed U.S. facility.
Ujam further raised concerns about the timing of the application, pointing out that three prosecution witnesses had already given what she described as serious incriminating testimony against Buba — increasing the risk that she might evade trial if allowed to travel. She told the court that it had become a pattern in high-profile criminal cases for defendants to cite medical emergencies as a pretext for travelling abroad.
An EFCC medical officer, Ahmad Yahaya, stated in a counter affidavit that Buba’s condition could be adequately managed within Nigeria.
Justice Nwite, after hearing arguments from both sides, adjourned the matter to March 4 for ruling.
