U.S court rejects request to release Tinubu’s confidential records by FBI, CIA
In a recent development, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington D.C has denied a request for the immediate release of confidential records pertaining to President Bola Tinubu, which were compiled by American law enforcement authorities.
The request to expedite the release of these records was filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan. Greenspan had sought to compel agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to provide these records before the end of October.
His urgent request came after President Tinubu’s legal team contested the release, arguing that it would infringe upon his privacy and other statutory rights. It was suggested that the President was attempting to delay the release to prevent any potential impact on the ongoing election dispute in the Nigerian Supreme Court.
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However, in a ruling delivered on Monday, Judge Beryl Howell denied the request for an immediate release of the documents. She concluded that no hearing to assess the merits of the motion was necessary, noting that Greenspan had not sufficiently justified the need for an urgent hearing. The judge emphasized the importance of protecting President Tinubu’s interests, considering the sensitive and private nature of the requested documents.
Judge Howell stated, “Plaintiff has not made any representation to the court that the balance of equities tips in his favor or that the granting of his motion would further the public interest. Given that the FOIA request is for records that, if any exist, may be of a highly sensitive and private nature and that the subject of those documents, Bola A. Tinubu, has had no opportunity to protect his privacy interests in any such records, the balance of equities militates strongly in favor of denying this emergency motion. Plaintiff’s emergency motion for a hearing to compel immediate document production is denied. No hearing to determine the merits of this motion is necessary.”
Additionally, Judge Howell approved President Tinubu’s request to allow his lawyer, Christopher Carmichael, to participate in the case, although she has yet to rule on the President’s motion to intervene. The U.S. Department of Justice, represented by Matthew Graves, remained neutral on whether President Tinubu should be allowed to join the case.