COOK COUNTY, IL (CelebrityAccess) – Cash-strapped R. Kelly has asked a Cook County judge to let him travel to Dubai to perform several concerts, according to The Associated Press.
Since being arrested earlier this year on sex abuse charges, which resulted in the cancelation of multiple concerts, his record contract and the removal of his music from various streaming services, Kelly claims that he has been struggling to pay child support, legal fees and everyday expenses.
In the motion filed Wednesday (March 20), the R&B singer – who was forced to surrender his passport following his arrest and is limited in his ability to travel outside Illinois without the judge’s permission – said he hopes to perform up to five concerts in the Middle East, and plans to meet members of royal families if granted permission to visit the United Arab Emirates next month, according to The AP.
Kelly’s lawyers are arguing that travel outside the state of Illinois is essential in order for him to make a living and citing the fact that he was permitted to travel before his 2008 child pornography trial, a case in which he was later acquitted.
The U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with the UAE, however, Dubai’s Jebel Ali port is the biggest port of call for the U.S. Navy outside of America,” reports The AP.
A judge could rule on the travel request as early as Friday.
