A doctor accused of organ trafficking was previously able to persuade an NHS hospital and the transplant regulator that he was the cousin of a man who donated him a kidney in an operation in 2021, the Old Bailey has heard.
After this was successful, he trafficked a Lagos street trader to the UK in an attempt to transplant his kidney to the daughter of a powerful Nigerian politician at the same hospital, the Royal Free in London.
The doctor, Obinna Obeta, 51, is accused of organ trafficking under the Modern Slavery Act, along with Ike Ekweremadu, 60, a former deputy president of the Nigerian senate, his wife, Beatrice, 56, and their daughter Sonia, 25, who is a kidney patient at the Royal Free. All four deny the charges.
Ekweremadu’s brother Diwe Ekweremadu, who is alleged to have taken part in the conspiracy but is in Nigeria and so not on trial, studied with Dr Obeta, the court heard.
Diwe Ekweremadu messaged his brother in September 2021 after hearing about Obeta’s own successful kidney transplant at the Royal Free, the jury was told. He said: “I had an extensive discussion last night with my classmate who had his transplant last month. I will brief you.” Ike Ekweremadu replied “perfect”.
The jury also heard that Obeta had sworn a court affidavit in Nigeria that he was the cousin of a man who had agreed to donate him his kidney.
Davies told the jury: “This is the only evidence that exists to say that this relationship is true. If he [Obeta] gives evidence he can tell you about it.”
He added: “What is clear is as they went through the process at the Royal Free hospital that both donor and recipient, Dr Obeta, gave accounts to the reviewing consultants, which were reviewed by the Human Tissue Authority, that were accepted, as to this relationship as cousins. So it worked. He got his transplant.
“Whatever the truth of any of that, the success of his transplant process provided a clear model for what Sonia needed in her moments of crisis … that’s where it started – claiming to be cousins had worked.”
A member of staff at the Royal Free, Ebere Agbasonu, acted as an Igbo translator between the donors and the hospital consultants in both cases, the court heard. She agreed to work with the Ekweremadus in “coaching” the alleged victim for a fee of £1,500, according to family WhatsApp messages shown to the jury.
The alleged victim, a street trader from Lagos who cannot be named for legal reasons, was first approached to become a donor by the man who had donated his kidney to Obeta, the court heard.
But when he was taken to London to meet Dr Peter Dupont, a consultant at the Royal Free, questions were asked about his understanding of the process, the court heard. Another meeting was set up with a different consultant, and this time Agbasonu agreed to act as interpreter and coach.
The jury was shown a message from Diwe Ekweremadu to his brother about this arrangement. It said: “I’ve met with the Igo interpreter. She agreed to work with us. She will be involved in coaching the boy, and during his consultation and interviews he will be providing the relevant interpretation. She insisted that I give her £1,500.”
After the meeting with the consultant, Diwe Ekweremadu messaged his brother again: “I have spoken with Ebere. She said the boy did better today but he’s still showing so much timidity. She covered up for him and added the words as much as possible.”
But after this second meeting Dupont “maintained his original conclusion that [the man] was not suitable to recommend to the Human Tissue Authority to act as a donor” and the privately arranged £80,000 operation could not go ahead.
The trial continues.
