The Central Criminal Court in the United Kingdom has adjourned the organ harvesting case involving Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife to 2023.
The judge handling the case is going to hear pretrial applications on October 31, but the trial will commence fully on May 2, 2023.
The couple were arrested by London Metropolitan Police in June and appeared before a magistrate court in July.
Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice are facing charges bordering on conspiracy to arrange/facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
However, a third individual Obinna Obeta, who is a practising medical doctor in London, appeared alongside the duo.
Pending that, a pre-trial is scheduled for October 31 in which the ex-Deputy Senate President, his wife, and Obeta would appear in court.
Ekweremadu’s wife was granted bail on July 22.
No application for bail (for the Senator) was put to the judge and there were no signs of the lawmaker’s adult children during the trial. Beatrice Ekweremadu, however, remains on bail under strict conditions.
At the court on Thursday, the senator representing Enugu west asked that a new lawyer represent him.
The case began on May 5 when the alleged trafficked victim handed himself to the police authorities on the grounds that he was being coerced into giving his organs despite being under-aged.
The police had alleged that David Ukpo, the reported victim at the centre of the organ harvesting allegation, is a 15-year-old but the court ruled that he is 21.
