Former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, have appeared at Westminster Magistrate Court this Thursday for the continuation of their trial.
The lawmaker and his wife pleaded not guilty to the charges of human trafficking and organ harvesting in the United Kingdom.
The court accepted that the kidney donor in Ekweremadu’s case is 21 years old not a minor as earlier claimed.
Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice were arrested by the British police on June 23 on allegations of human trafficking and organ harvesting that violate the country’s Modern Slavery Act.
The police authorities had accused the lawmaker of conspiring to bring a child to the United Kingdom for organ harvesting, saying the victim was a 15-year-old boy.
The court thereafter fixed August 4 as the date for the next hearing.
The Federal High Court Abuja yesterday had ordered the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to transmit the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the biodata information of an alleged Minor to the Attorney General of the Federation for onward transmission to the UK to aid Ekweremadu’s trial.
Ekweremadu’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, had on July 27 urged Justice Inyang Ekwo to order the release of certain official documents of Ukpo domiciled with NIMC, Nigerian Immigration Service, and Stanbic-IBTC Bank for the purpose of effectively defending Ekweremadu in the UK.
The prayers were granted by Justice Inyang Ekwo.
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