Tinubu Moves to Keep Alleged Drug Investigation Records Secret in US
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked a United States court to prevent the release of records connected to past allegations of drug trafficking involving him, according to a filing by his legal representatives.
The Nigerian president is seeking to stop the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration from releasing documents requested in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
The records are being sought by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who has asked for access to the FBI’s file on Tinubu as well as Form 302 interview records covering investigations between 1992 and 1993.
Greenspan’s lawsuit also seeks records reportedly connected to a 1993 civil forfeiture case in the United States involving approximately $460,000 allegedly linked to Tinubu.
Tinubu has previously denied wrongdoing in relation to the allegations.
In a 16-page filing submitted to the US court, Tinubu’s lawyers argued that releasing the requested materials would infringe on his privacy rights.
The legal team maintained that previous disclosures from the forfeiture proceedings did not make the contents of any wider investigative files public.
They argued that the existence of information in some public records does not eliminate an individual’s right to keep undisclosed details of government investigations private.
“Regardless of the prior disclosure in the forfeiture proceeding, Intervenor retains a privacy interest in potential disclosure of the investigative files sought by Plaintiff,” the lawyers stated.
The lawyers also argued that Greenspan’s request was largely focused on obtaining government documents containing Tinubu’s name.
They urged the court not to allow other challenges raised by Greenspan over the FBI’s search process, DEA records and the application of privacy exemptions to become a route to accessing information that would otherwise remain protected.
“If this Court finds that Plaintiff cannot use FOIA to mine information in government files about a private individual, he should not be able to access documents with Intervenor’s ‘name on them,’” the filing stated.
Tinubu’s legal team further asked the court to reject Greenspan’s request for summary judgment and allow the FBI and DEA to maintain the redactions and withholding of records.
The dispute is part of an ongoing legal battle over access to US government records relating to past investigations and proceedings involving the Nigerian president.
