The trial of Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, over alleged organ harvesting has been postponed till January 2023.
The Central Criminal Court in London, the United Kingdom, agreed that arguments will be heard on the 16th or 19th of December 2022 before the commencement of the trial in January.
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Ekweremadu was absent from court on Monday, his wife who was released on bail in July and Sonia, the couple’s daughter, were present.
Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice were arrested on June 23 and charged with conspiracy to trafficking a person for organ harvesting in violation of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had recently ordered an interim forfeiture of 40 landed properties belonging to the embattled former Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently in custody in the United Kingdom.
QUEST TIMES earlier reported that an Abuja High Court has ordered an interim forfeiture of 40 landed properties belonging to the embattled former Deputy Senate President following an ex-parte motion marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1242/2022 filed and moved by Ibrahim Buba on behalf of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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In a short ruling on the exparte motion, the Judge ordered the anti-graft agency to publish the interim forfeiture order of the properties in a national daily within seven days from the date the order was given.
Justice Inyang Ekwo specifically asked anybody interested in the properties covered by the interim forfeiture order to indicate within 14 days of the publication of the interim forfeiture order of the court.
Justice Ekwo adjourned till December 5, 2022, for a report, if there is any objection from any member of the public regarding the properties.
The interim forfeiture order covers 10 Ekweremadu’s properties in Enugu, three in the United States of America (USA), two in the United Kingdom (UK), one in Lagos, nine in Dubai, and 15 located in the Federal Capital Territory.
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By the ruling, members of the public interested in the properties, covered by the interim forfeiture order should, within 14 days of the newspaper publication, inform the court why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.