UPDATE: As of Friday morning, Associated Press reports Kelly’s entertainment attorney Doug Anton said any Dubai trip was “off for now as contracts with Dubai concert organizers are reworked.” However, his criminal attorney Steve Greenberg said Kelly might be able to go to Dubai still, but he wants to provide the judge with more details first.
Although multiple R. Kelly concerts have been shut down or cancelled during the #MuteRKelly movement, the R&B singer is still trying to perform overseas – despite the fact that he was recently arrested on sex abuse charges.
Last month, Kelly surrendered his passport when he was charged with 10 counts of sexual abuse. He is not able to leave the state without the court’s permission, but his lawyer filed a motion yesterday that requests permission to allow Kelly to fly to Dubai to perform a handful of shows next month. His lawyer, Steve Greenberg, sent a request, along with details of the singer’s travel arrangements, to Cook County prosecutors. Judge Lawrence Flood will rule on the matter during a status hearing tomorrow, March 22.
Since the Lifetime docu-series Surviving R. Kelly was released earlier this year, which outlines Kelly’s multiple sexual assault allegations over the past 20 years, the singer has been under fire. More and more women began to speak out and accuse the singer of sexual assault, his music was pulled from various music platforms, and his shows were cancelled in light of “security issues.” The FBI opened an investigation against Kelly and he was arrested, but a mysterious donor posted bond.
Kelly’s finances have also reportedly been a mess this year; he was struggling to pay rent for his Chicago recording studio, and he spent another night in jail when he was unable to pay $161,000 in child support. However, Kelly was released again from the help of a “benefactor” and is currently free on bond.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, Greenberg said the singer hadn’t used his passport since it was issued several years earlier. Greenberg even offered to be Kelly’s “chaperone” during the trip, noting that Kelly “needs to be able to work like anyone else who is free on bond, and the law needs to be adaptable.”
“He does not like to fly,” Greenberg said. “But he will do what he has to do. He has bills to pay.”
Kelly was supposed to travel to Germany in April to play at the Ratiopharm Arena. Originally, the arena struggled whether or not they should host the show, ultimately deciding that “it believed in court of law more than the court of public opinion.” However, once he was arrested for sexual abuse, the venue cancelled his contract.
