By Our Correspondent
Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu have denied charges by the London Metropolitan Police, who are detaining them, that they conspired to harvest the kiney of a minor.
Senator Ekweremadu and Mrs. Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu were arraigned today before the Uxbridge Magistrate’s Court in London over allegation of deceiving a homeless 15-year-old Nigerian boy to travel to the United Kingdom but with a plan to remove his kidney for their sick daughter.
The couple have denied the charges.
Ekweremadu’s lawyer, Gavin Irwin, told the court that at no stage did his client arrange transport for anyone with the intention to exploit them.
The UK Daily Mail reported Irwin saying, “There is no question this is a serious allegation. Mr Ekweremadu is a member of the Senate in Nigeria. He has previously held an even more senior role as deputy president of the Senate.
“He is a member of the bar in Nigeria. He is a principal in a law firm that bears his name.
“Those issues taken together go way beyond him being a person of good character…rather that he has led a blameless life as a public servant.”
On her part, Mrs Ekweremadu’s lawyer, Antonia Gray, stated that her client has never been complicit or involved in any alleged illegal trafficking of any young person.
She said: “She is a financial accountant with an unblemished record.”
Hearing in the case has been postponed by the court to July 7 for resumption while the defendants are detained by the police following an order of the court.
