R. Kelly to Request Permission to Leave Country for Dubai Concerts

By Jem Aswad

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – R. Kelly’s lawyer Steven Greenberg will file a motion on Friday to request that the singer can fly via private jet to Dubai next month to perform at a set of previously scheduled concerts, according to ABC News. Greenberg confirmed the report to Variety.

The matter will be taken up at a hearing in criminal court regarding the 10 counts of criminal sexual abuse Kelly is facing against four young women, three of whom were underage at the time. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Due to those charges, Kelly cannot legally leave the country, as a judge in his sexual abuse case ordered the singer to surrender his passport. The concerts are scheduled between April 17 and April 19. Two previously scheduled concerts in Germany have been cancelled.

The motion will reference three to five shows from April 17 to 19 that were previously booked. Greenberg, who has said recently that Kelly is having financial troubles, is expected to argue that the singer’s work requires him to travel. The singer was also arrested for non-payment of more than $160,000 in child support last month ; for both arrests, he was bailed out by unnamed fans after spending three days in jail.

“Surviving  ,” a harrowing docuseries that aired on Lifetime earlier this year, renewed interest in the allegations against Kelly. Following the release of the series, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx urged others with stories about the musician to come forward. In a statement released to Variety on Friday, a rep for the Lifetime network said, “We are proud that Lifetime was able to provide a platform for survivors to be heard.”