A former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu has revealed the reason he transferred her daughter, Sonia’s clinical treatment from an “internationally recognised centre of excellence” in London to an unknown quantity in Turkey.
According to him, treatment in Turkey was “cheaper”.
Ekweremadu disclosed this to a court in London during a cross-examination, Daily Mail reports.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, daughter Sonia, 25, and medical “middleman” Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, are on trial at the Old Bailey over an alleged plot to bring a young man to Britain for his body part.
It is alleged the 21-year-old street trader from Lagos was to be rewarded for donating a kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu in an £80,000 private procedure at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
When he was rejected as unsuitable, it is alleged the Ekweremadus transferred their interest to Turkey and set about finding another donor.
Under cross-examination, Senator Ekweremadu was asked why he did not try to find a suitable match among his family members.
The politician said he believed it was not an option after being relayed a conversation between his medical brother Diwe and Dr Obeta in September 2021.
While cross-examining the lawmaker, Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC said; “On the question of whether a family member could, in principle, act as a donor, you decided that was not possible based on a reported conversation between your non-nephrologist brother and Dr Obeta, a non-nephrologist?”
In response, Ekweremadu said, “He would have had basic knowledge. I’m not a doctor, so if he says so, I believe him.”
But Davies said, “All you had to do, rather than rely on a second-hand account from non-nephrologists, was to ask one of the specialists you were consulting whether a family member could donate a kidney.”
Ekweremadu, however, suggested he had “limited intelligence,” a claim that was rejected by the prosecutor, who said, “It is incredible. You do not lack intelligence.”
Mr Davies asserted: “The transplant with (the donor) not having gone ahead you and your family then immediately sought to recruit further donors for reward, transferring jurisdiction out of the UK to Turkey.
“That failed too because even that donor had not been trained properly to give the false answers when interviewed.”
The defendant replied: “These are not the facts.”
Mr Davies said: “You did not move away from the Royal Free clinical team because they lacked expertise.
“When another donor was required you immediately sought to transfer the clinical process to Turkey.”
Mr Davies queried why the Ekweremadus had been prepared to leave an “internationally recognised centre of excellence” in London for an unknown quantity in Turkey.
Ekweremadu suggested treatment in Turkey was “cheaper”.
Mr Davies responded: “You were looking to cut corners on your daughter’s clinical outcome to save money? You were a wealthy man, senator.”
The defendant who owns dozens of properties in Nigeria and Dubai and sent his children to be privately educated, according to Daily Mail, denied being a wealthy man.
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