Posted by By ADESINA AIYEKOTI on
Family of the detained former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha is now living in fear over a recent medical report, revealing that the former governor requires an urgent surgery to "forestall sudden cardiac death."
Family of the detained former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha is now living in fear over a recent medical report, revealing that the former governor requires an urgent surgery to "forestall sudden cardiac death."
Daily Sun gathered that Alamieyeseigha, currently facing a 40-count charge bordering on money laundering before a Federal High Court Lagos, had been experiencing, what medical experts described as "retrosternal discomfort and palpitations suggesting worsening coronary blood supply."
A source at a cardiac diagnostic laboratories, a private hospital (name withheld) located on Victoria Island, Lagos where the former governor is currently recuperating, disclosed that the consultant cardiologist at the hospital (name withheld) had given a medical opinion that Alamieyeseigha would have to travel abroad for treatment.
According to the letter written by the cardiologist entitled: "Medical report on Dr D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha" and dated May 8, 2006, "the facilities for interventional cardiology are not available in this country."
Daily Sun further learnt that the former governor who was impeached by the Bayelsa State House of Assembly last December following his arrest by the London Metropolitan Police, was transferred to the hospital from another private hospital for management of his "worsening hypertensive heart disease and diabetes mellitus.
On admission, he was said to have complained of "retrosternal discomfort, palpitations, dyspnoa on mild to moderate exertion and insomnia."
Prior to his recent predicament, Alamieyeseigha had undergone two surgeries for acute abdominal pain in Nigeria. He was also operated upon in Germany last September.
Speaking to Daily Sun on his health, his counsel, Mr Mike Okoye said: "I expect the government to intervene because if anything happens to him the government would be held responsible. I believe that he is in serious danger and he required certain medical attention.
Describing the condition of the former governor as "very pathetic," when he visited him in hospital last week, Okoye pleaded with the government to expedite action on the advice of his (Alamieyeseigha's) doctor, so that he could face his trial alive.
Chief Alamieyeseigha, some of his companies, Solomon and Peters Limited, Santolina Investment Corporation, Pesal Nigeria Limited, Kpedefa Nigeria Limited, Jetty Properties Limited and Harbage Global Services Limited were alleged, among other things, to have converted 241 million pounds (N60.7 billion) from Lagos to London to buy a property at Flt 202 Jubilee Heights, Shoot Uphill London N.W. 23.
He was also alleged to have converted N1.5 billion to buy the property known as Chelsea Hotel Abuja.
While the trial was on, Alamieyeseigha brought preliminary applications through his attorneys, Professor A. B. Kasumu, Chief Mike Ozekhome and Mike Okoye, asking the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Shuaib, to suspend the trial pending the outcome of the Court of Appeal ruling challenging the legality of his arraignment.
While the matter was still pending, Alamieyeseigha was wheeled into the theatre for surgery to remove blood which had accumulated in his stomach.
"The management of his earlier tummy tuck operation in Germany before his arrest and detention in Britain has been badly managed due to his present incarceration in Nigeria and for lack of adequate exercise and proper medical care," hospital sources had disclosed then.
He was also said to have collapsed two times before the operation was performed.
Twenty witnesses including a Lagos-based lawyer and two British policemen, Sergeant Bob Ingram and Constable Peter Clark are billed to testify against Chief Alamieyeseigha any time the trial commences.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos, on Tuesday dismissed the application for stay of proceeding brought by Chief Alamieyeseigha.
Dismissing the application brought before the appellate court, seeking a stay of proceedings of the criminal trial, the three justices of the court led by Justice Isa Salami held that there was no merit in the appeal.
The court described the relief sought as a delaying tactics to frustrate the criminal trial.
Justice Mohammed Shuaib of a Federal High Court Lagos had on December 23, 2005, dismissed the preliminary application brought by the former chief executive contesting the jurisdiction of the court and the legality of the charges brought against him.
Throwing out the request for a stay of proceedings of the case, Justice Shuaib held that Alamieyeseigha had not made out a case for the court to rule in his favour.