Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu has been denied bail by the Central Criminal Court in London, also known as the Old Bailey.
The court denied bail on the grounds that he was a flight risk during the pre-trial hearing on Tuesday.
The court cited the letter and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s asset forfeiture proceedings against the senator.
Ekweremadu’s lawyer argued in the bail application that the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Attorney-General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had written to the court stating that Ekweremadu was not a flight risk.
His defense also claimed that a guarantee to produce him was given if he posed a flight risk, and that the Nigeria High Commission in the UK had also offered the option of electronically tagging Ekweremadu to track his movements.
In addition to citing attestation of Ekweremadu’s character by respected Nigerians and organizations, his lawyer argued that the lawmaker had proven to be a caring and responsible father who could not flee London, abandoning his wife and sick daughter.
The defense also told the court that they had nearly half a million pounds sterling in sureties and securities from 11 people to secure Ekweremadu’s release on bail.
His defense stated that Ekweremadu was a highly regarded and well-known public figure, and he was also involved in some global humanitarian courses.
The prosecution, on the other hand, insisted that Ekweremadu was a flight risk, claiming that as a holder of international passports from two other countries, the lawmaker could flee to any of the other countries other than Nigeria.
The prosecution also referred to the assets forfeiture proceedings against Ekweremadu in the Federal High Court in Abuja, citing the EFCC letter dated July 18, 2022, signed on behalf of the Executive Chairman, Abdulraheed Bawa, by the Assistant Director Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkoi.
Refusing bail, the Judge stated, “I am entirely satisfied there remains a flight risk,” adding that bail would make little difference “as the trial is just over a month away.”
According to the PUNCH, Ekweremadu’s lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), the EFCC truncated Ekweremadu’s bail application in July.
Awomolu also accused the EFCC of dishonestly obtaining an interim assets forfeiture order against him by withholding vital information from Justice Inyang Ekpo.
The EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir (SAN), dismissed the allegations as a mere coincidence.
The Ekweremadus trial will now begin on January 31, 2023.
