A former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, will be spending the Christmas and New Year period in custody as the Central Criminal Court, London, also known as Old Bailey denies him bail again.
The court in the pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, gave its verdict denying Ekweremadu bail on the grounds that he was a flight risk. The court in its decision cited the letter and assets forfeiture proceedings against the senator by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Ekweremadu’s lawyer had at the beginning of the hearing for bail application argued that the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Attorney-General of the Federal had written to the court that Ekweremadu was not a flight risk. The lawyer also argued that a guarantee to produce him should he pose a flight risk was given and that the Nigeria High Commission in the UK had equally given the option of tagging Ekweremadu electronically to monitor his movement.
Referring to attestation of Ekweremadu’s character by respected Nigerians and organizations, his lawyer also argued that the lawmaker had proven to be a caring and responsible father and could not escape from London, abandoning his wife and sick daughter. His lawyer also mentioned that Ekweremadu had sureties and securities of nearly half a million pounds sterling from 11 people to secure his release on bail.
