A United States-based advocacy firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, says a court-ordered deadline for final briefs has expired in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case involving alleged FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) records concerning President Bola Tinubu.
The firm disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the court would now review the arguments submitted by the parties before determining the next step in the case.
The case concerns records the firm alleges are related to heroin trafficking and President Tinubu. The allegations have not been established as facts by the court.
In its statement, the firm said:
“In the FOIA case concerning alleged @FBI and @DEAHQ heroin-trafficking records related to Nigerian President Bola Tinubu (@officialABAT), the court-ordered deadline for final briefings has now passed.”
The firm added that, barring any new developments, the court would now consider the arguments presented by the parties.
“Barring any new developments, the Court will now review the parties’ arguments and deliberate accordingly.”
Von Batten-Montague-York said it believes the court will rule in favour of the plaintiff and order the release of portions of the records it alleges concern Tinubu.
However, that position is the firm’s expectation and does not represent a court ruling or finding.
The firm also said it expected the court to protect sensitive law-enforcement methods while rejecting what it described as Tinubu’s request for blanket privacy protection.
“We say portions because we believe the Court will protect sensitive law-enforcement methods while rejecting President Tinubu’s request for blanket privacy protection.”
The expiry of the briefing deadline means the parties have completed the court-ordered stage of presenting their final arguments, according to the firm’s statement. It does not by itself establish the allegations contained in the records or indicate how the court will ultimately rule.
The case remains pending, with the next major development expected to be the court’s decision on the arguments before it.
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