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| Adeyemi |
Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court,
Lagos has fixed November 6, 7 and 8, 2012 for continuation of trial in the case
instituted against the speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi
Ikuforiji and his personal assistant, Oyebode Alade Atoyebi by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, 24 October, 2012,
the EFCC presented its first witness, Adebayo Adeniyi, an operative of the
Commission. Adeniyi told the court that in the course of investigation,
he demanded for documents from the Clerk of the House of Assembly and took
statements from several members of the State House of Assembly and civil
servants.
Among the members whose statements were taken and
tendered are Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla, Kolawole Taiwo Musibau, Abiru
Rotimi, Akande Lola and Abdurrazak Balogun. The civil servants whose
statements were taken and admitted include Adewale Taiwo Olatunji, Olusegun
Abiru, Latona Folashade, Tijani Maruf and a few others. In all, 19
documents were tendered and admitted by Justice Okeke as exhibits.
Ikuforiji and his personal assistant were on March 1, 2012 arraigned on
a 20 count charge of allegedly conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting
cash payments amounting to N273,303,780 (Two hundred and seventy three million,
three hundred and three thousand, seven hundred and eighty naira) from the
Lagos State House of Assembly without going through a financial institution,
thereby committing an offence contrary to sections 18(a) of the Money
Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 and punishable under sections 16(2) (b) of
the same act.
Upon being granted bail by the court, Ikuforiji and his aide later
approached the court seeking to quash the charge against them on the grounds
that the purported transactions in which the said cash payments were made were
official transactions. He contended that as speaker, he was part of the Lagos
State government and that action which informed the charge was carried out on
behalf of the Lagos State government.
Prosecution counsel, Godwin Obla, asked the court to dismiss the
application of the accused persons. He told the court that there were monetary
guidelines regarding cash transactions which were breached in totality. He said
such cash transactions were species of money laundering. He urged the court not
to be tempted to dismiss the charge citing a recent case where a former governor
was discharged and acquitted of money laundering by a Federal High Court only
for the same person to be convicted by a court in the United Kingdom. He also
said objection to the charge should have been done before the accused persons
took their plea.
Justice Okeke in his ruling dismissed the application
filed by the defendants on the grounds that the reason advanced in support of
their application was untenable.
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