Recall that the lawmaker and his wife, Beatrice, were arrested in June this year and have been standing trial alongside their doctor, Obinna Obeta, for allegedly bringing in a 21-year-old man into the UK for a procedure where his kidney was to be harvested and transplanted to their daughter, who has kidney disease and has been on dialysis for some time.
In court today, the prosecutors told the court that the Ekweremadus and their doctor were arrested after the young man, who previously lived on the streets of Lagos, turned up at Staines police station, claiming he was a victim of trafficking.
Prosecutors claim David told police officers he had arrived in the UK on February 20 of this year and had been taken to the Royal Free Hospital for tests, none of which he consented to. After these tests, he said he had returned to the house he had been staying in, where he was “treated effectively as a slave.” Prosecutors claim he escaped the address and was homeless for three days before going to the police.
Ike Ekweremadu and his doctor are currently on remand in HMP Wandsworth and HMP Belmarsh, respectively. Ekweremadu’s wife, Beatrice, who was granted bail at a hearing in July, appeared in court today alongside their daughter, Sonia.
The Ekweremadus and Obeta will next appear at the Old Bailey on December 16 of this year, and a trial date has been set for January 31, 2023.
See photos of Sonia and her mother in court below,
