The Central Criminal Court, London, United Kingdom, has once again denied bail to former Nigerian Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
In the pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, the court gave its verdict denying the bail on the grounds of Ekweremadu being a flight risk.
The court then later cited the letter and assets forfeiture proceedings against the senator by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
In the bail application, Ekweremadu’s lawyer had argued that both 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.
His defense 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 offered the option of tagging the Senator electronically to monitor his movement.
His lawyer also argued that the lawmaker had proven to be a caring and responsible father and could simply not escape from London, abandoning his wife and sick daughter.
But the prosecution had insisted that Ekweremadu was a flight risk contending that as a holder of international passports from two other countries, the lawmaker could simply choose to escape to any of the other countries besides Nigeria.
Refusing the bail application, the Judge remarked, “I am entirely satisfied (that) there remains a flight risk,” while noting that bail would not make much difference “as the trial is just over a month away”.
