The Central Criminal Court, London, also known as Old Bailey has again denied Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President bail, saying he is a flight risk.
The court, which gave its verdict at a pre-trial hearing in London on Tuesday, cited the letter and assets forfeiture proceedings against the Senator by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
Ekweremadu’s attorneys in a bail application had argued that the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Attorney-General of the Federal had written the court that Ekweremadu was not a flight risk and gave a guarantee to produce him should he do otherwise.
The attorneys also told court that the Nigeria High Commission in the UK had equally given the option of tagging Ekweremadu electronically to monitor his movement.
They further told the court that they had sureties and securities of nearly half a million pounds sterling from 11 people to secure Ekweremadu’s release on bail.
READ ALSO: Organ Harvesting: EFCC Responsible For My Detention In UK – Ekweremadu
However, prosecution insisted that Ekweremadu was a flight risk, contending that as a holder of international passports from two other countries, the lawmaker could escape to any of the other countries asides from Nigeria.
EFCC had earlier indicted Ekweremadu 8th July 2022 and vowed to immediately institute assets forfeiture proceedings and criminal processes against him following his detention in London, via a letter on behalf of the Executive Chairman, Abdulraheed Bawa signed by the Assistant Director Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkoi.
The Recorder of London said: “I am entirely satisfied there remains a flight risk as the trial is just over a month away. Consequently, this bail application is refused.”
Ekweremadu’s trial is expected to commence at the end of January 2023.
The Specialist Crime Team of the Metropolitan Police in London had in the middle of the year, arrested Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, and charged them for organ harvesting.
