The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed March 4 to decide whether the Managing Director of SunTrust Bank Ltd, Halima Buba, should be allowed to travel to the United States for medical treatment while standing trial over an alleged $12 million fraud.
Buba, who is being prosecuted alongside the bank’s Executive Director and Chief Compliance Officer, Innocent Mbagwu, is facing a six-count charge of alleged money laundering filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Through her lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN), the bank chief applied for a variation of her bail conditions before Justice Emeka Nwite, seeking the temporary release of her international passport to enable her travel abroad due to pregnancy-related medical complications.
Both defendants were arraigned on July 13, 2025, and granted bail in the sum of N100 million each with one surety. The court also ordered them to surrender their international passports as part of the bail conditions.
In an application dated February 3, Buba asked the court to vary the terms of her bail, release her passport temporarily and direct the court registry to facilitate access to her travel documents for the proposed medical trip.
She stated in a supporting affidavit that she registered for antenatal care at Deda Hospital in Jahi, Abuja, where complications were allegedly detected by a chief medical officer. According to her, she was subsequently referred to Bridge Clinics, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist facility affiliated with Indiana University Health in Carmel, Indiana.
Buba told the court she intended to travel in mid-February and return before the end of the month, assuring that she had complied fully with all bail conditions since her arraignment. She maintained that she had attended all court sittings and would not abscond if granted permission to travel.
The EFCC opposed the request, arguing that the application lacked merit. Prosecution counsel, Ogechi Ujam, described the claims in the motion as speculative and misleading, insisting that the medical documents presented did not establish that treatment could not be handled within Nigeria.
She further argued that no Nigerian medical practitioner had expressly recommended treatment abroad and noted the absence of proof of a confirmed appointment at the proposed U.S. facility.
The anti-graft agency also raised concerns about the timing of the application, noting that three prosecution witnesses had already given testimony it considered incriminating against the defendant. According to the EFCC, defendants in high-profile criminal matters frequently rely on medical excuses as a basis for seeking foreign travel.
In a counter affidavit, an EFCC medical officer, Ahmad Yahaya, stated that the medical condition cited could be adequately managed by healthcare providers within Nigeria.
After hearing submissions from both parties, Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until March 4 for ruling on the application.
