Ike Ekweremadu

The offence

What the court heard

He was found guilty of conspiracy to arrange the travel of another person with a view to exploitation (harvesting his kidney) in London in February 2022. Sentencing Remarks 1. Introduction 1.1 Obinna Obeta, Ike Ekweremadu and Beatrice Ekweremadu, you have each been convicted of conspiracy to commit an offence of human trafficking. You brought a young man to London to exploit him. The exploitation was the proposed donation of a kidney in return for a reward, the reward being money and a chance to work in the United Kingdom. 1.2 The trafficking of people across international borders to harvest their organs is a form of slavery. It treats human beings, and their body parts, as commodities to be bought and sold. It is a trade that preys on human poverty, misery and desperation. The evidence shows that those who are impoverished, often living in multi-dimensional poverty, desperate for a better life, and ignorant of the true risks, are sometimes willing to sell their organs either for money or the opportunity to work in the UK. Significant risks attach to such donation without proper after-care. Each of you played a part in that despicable trade. 2. The facts 2.1 You, Obinna Obeta underwent a kidney transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London in 2021. You said that you and your donor were cousins. That was a lie. The clinicians at the Royal Free, and the independent assessors at the Human Tissue Authority were taken in by the lie. They believed that the donor was acting altruistically, as a Good Samaritan. The transplant went ahead. There is no evidence that the donor has been given the necessary aftercare. It is not necessary for me to make a finding as to whether you exploited the donor. What is clear is that you learned from your experience that it was possible to manipulate and corrupt the regulatory system by using a fabricated affidavit, by lying about your relationship with the donor, and by coaching the donor to lie. 2.2 You, Ike Ekweremadu, and you, Beatrice Ekweremadu, have a daughter, Sonia. She is very ill. She is suffering from FSGS nephrotic syndrome. She needs a kidney transplant. Everybody has enormous sympathy for her, and for the impact on you of seeing your daughter's suffering. Sonia's uncle, Diwe Ekweremadu, knew Obinna Obeta from medical school. He got in touch. Obinna Obeta offered to help find a donor. A possible donor was identified. By law his name may not be published. I will call him C. He had grown up in a village where he had…

Aggravating and mitigating factors

Good Character / No (relevant) previous convictions; Character References / Witness; Vulnerable victim

Around this case

• Central Criminal Court Crown Court
• Prosecuted by Crown Prosecution Service
• Investigated by Metropolitan Police Service