A criminal court in Central London has denied Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President bail out of concerns that he would likely leave the country before trial.
The London court denied Ekweremadu bail in a Tuesday pre-trial hearing, labelling him a flight risk.
Earlier in June, Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice were arrested and charged with organ harvesting.
After the couple appeared before a magistrate court, Beatrice was granted bail on July 22, while her husband was denied.
However, the counsel to Ekweremadu argued that his client is not a flight risk.
The defence mentioned that the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Attorney-General of the Federal Government had written to the court assuring Ekweremadu will not flee.
Ekweremadu’s counsel also told the court that the High Commission of Nigeria in London had guaranteed his client will appear in court and the option of tracking his whereabouts electronically was available.
The prosecution, however, argued that Ekweremadu is capable of fleeing to different countries, since he held passports from two other countries, as well as his Nigerian one.
The prosecution also read to the court some letters from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), detailing assets forfeiture proceedings against Ekweremadu.
The judge ruled that Ekweremadu remained a flight risk, and that granting him a bail would not make much difference, since the trial is just over a month away.
