There are indications that chairman of Bi-Courtney, Dr Wale Babalakin, may be plotting to escape from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital,(LUTH), Idi-Araba, where he is currently holed up after he tactically stalled his money laundering trial few days ago.
Pointblanknews.com learnt that Babalakin who is believed to have feigned illness few hours before he was scheduled to be arraigned, may be planning to skip the country and avoid his new date which is December 12, 2012.
According to our source, Rotimi Jacobs, counsel to EFCC, who expressed regret that Babalakin abused his bail privilege, may have advised the commission to place operatives on alert at LUTH, so as to forestall the suspect fleeing.
A source close to EFCC told Pointblanknews.com ” the commission just being careful, dont forget this man is trying to stop his prosecution. And if you look at the timing, when his counsel said he was ill, and when another court said his trial should be put on hold, then you know why the commission must ensure he doesnt pull another stunt. He knows his case is bad, so leaving the country may be an option, dont forget also that the British is interested in his case because of Ibori”
Pointblanknews.com also gathered Babalakin elected to stay at LUTH indefinitely because he fears operatives of the EFCC may pick him up and throw him in jail, once he steps into his home.
Accordingly, Operatives of the EFCC are currently on 24 hours surveillance at LUTH. Babalakin is in one of the amenity wards in the hospital. Along with four others, he is wanted to stand trial on a 27-count charge of helping convict James Ibori to launder over N3.4billion.
The EFCC however suspected that Babalakin was embarking on further “pranks” by relocating to the hospital, and a team of its operatives arrived LUTH on Tuesday night to stop Babalakin from doing anything detrimental to the trial.
According to a source ” the issue is they assume he may want to escape, but that is laughable. Escape to where.? Wale wont do such. They also believe he is lying about his illness.So they have placed operatives there.”
The source continued .” Dont forget the EFCC said in court that they regret granting him bail because he failed to appear, so the plot we think is wait till he gets out of LUTH and they will pounce. I assure you the moment Wale leaves LUTH and come home they will arrest him”
When the EFCC came for him last time he went into hiding, until Justice minister, Mohammed Adoke prevailed on the EFCC boss to call off his operatives. Even after they left Babalakin could not sleep in his home as he spent the night at Femi Fani-Kayode’s Zuma close, Asokoro home.