CHICAGO – Cash-strapped R&B singer R. Kelly wants a judge to let him travel to the Middle East to perform several concerts, saying he has struggled to get work in the U.S. since his February arrest on sex-abuse charges.
A defence filing Wednesday in Chicago says Kelly would do three to five concerts in Dubai. It doesn’t specify which venues he’d play or how much he’d earn.
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It says Kelly has struggled to pay child support, legal fees and other bills. It blames the cancellation of Illinois concerts and a record-company contract, and streaming services removing his songs.
As a bond condition in his sexual abuse case, Kelly must stay in Illinois unless a judge approves out-of-state travel.
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The filing asserts that Kelly isn’t a flight risk, saying the United Arab Emirates would never jeopardize its U.S. relationship by harbouring a fugitive Kelly.
His next court date is Friday.
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