N500m Laundering: EFCC Closes Case Against Former Speaker Ikuforiji
By Abisola THOMPSON
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, closes case in the N500m laundering trial of former Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has closed its case in the money laundering trial of former Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.
The agency closed its case after presenting 2nd witness to testify against the Speaker and his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, on 54 counts amended charge
Ikuforiji and Atoyebi are facing amended 54 counts bordering on alleged diversion and laundering of N338m belonging to the Lagos State House of Assembly.
They were re-arraigned before Justice Liman December last year, five years after they were earlier discharged of the offences by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the same court in 2014.
In September 2014, following a no-case submission by their lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Justice Buba had discharged Ikuforiji and Atoyebi of the entire 56 counts filed against them by the EFCC.
Not pleased with Justice Buba’s decision, the EFCC had gone on an appeal, resulting in the overturning of Justice Buba’s verdict in November 2016.
The appellate court ordered that the case file be returned to the Federal High Court for the defendants to be tried afresh before another judge.
Dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision, Ikuforiji and Atoyebi proceeded to the Supreme Court but they lost as the apex court.
Upon their re-arraignment before Justice Liman, they pleaded not guilty.
At today’s proceedings, the witness, Adewale Taiwo Olatunji, identified the former speaker and his personal assistant in the dock.
He recalled receiving two letters from the EFCC; the first concerned the agency’s intention to investigate the HoA’s financial dealings. The second was an invitation to him to appear before the Commission in relation to the investigation.
“When they came, I directed staff of house to cooperate with them and give them what they required,” Olatunji said, adding that he later honoured the invitation at the EFCC’s Abuja headquarters.
The witness confirmed that he was aware that the EFCC officials demanded for and were given documents.
“The documents were majorly cash registers,” he said.
Upon being shown one of the documents – which were in the courts possession as exhibits – the witness Identified same as a certified true copy of a cash register forwarded to EFCC by the HoA.
“Cash registers were majorly to record cash transactions,” Olatunji told the judge.
Responding to a question by Iheanacho, he confirmed that in his time, the HoA had five accounts, but could not recall all of them.
“It was a long time ago. We had WEMA Bank, Equitorial Trust Bank, Skye Bank, which had two accounts,” Olatunji said, adding that he was not aware if any of the banks had branches within the HoA complex in Alausa.
After the testimony, Ikuforiji’s counsel, Mr Dele Adesina, SAN, asked for a short date to either open defence or file a no-case submission.
Subsequently, Justice Mohammed Liman granted his prayer and fixed March 24 for Ikuforiji to open his defence in the alleged money laundering charges preferred against him.
