Updated: Ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji for retrial 11 Dec

adeyemi-ikuforiji

The former Lagos State Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji

Adeyemi Ikuforiji: money laundering case starts afresh
By Akin Kuponiyi

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today re – arraigned the former speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

Ikuforiji, along with his aide Oyebode Alade Atoyebi was charged afresh by the EFCC in a retrial of a money laundering case, for which he was initially discharged by a Federal High Court in Lagos in 2015.

The new case is before Justice Mohammed Liman at Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

Ikuforiji and Oyebode were not in court today when the case was called,

Barrister Tunde Akinrimisi, who appeared for the former speaker and his aide told the court that the defendants have not been served.

He said he received a hearing notice as one of the lawyers who represented the defendants during the initial trial and it was out of utmost respect for the court that he came to court today.

He urged the court to grant an adjournment for him to get in touch with the defendants

However, in his response, the EFCC prosecutor Barrister Rotimi Oyedepo told the court that he will grudgingly concede to adjournment because the case had suffered series of adjournment at the instance of the defendants.

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In addition the charge was served on the defendants when the trial started some years ago.

Thereafter the presiding Judge Mohammed Liman adjourned till 11th of December,2019, for the defendants to be arraigned

The former speaker and his aide were initially discharged and acquitted by a Federal High Court in Lagos of 54 counts of money laundering to the tune of N673 million.

However when the case was pursued to the Supreme Court on appeal by the EFCC, the Apex court in January 2018 ordered for a retrial by the Federal High Court.

In the new charge, the EFCC has filed 56-counts against the former speaker and his aide.

The new charge was dated 4 June, 2013.

It was filed before the Federal High Court in Lagos by Mary Onaja.

The charge alleges that Ikuforiji and Atoyebi between April 2010 and August 2011 conspired together to commit an illegal act, to wit, accepting various cash payments amounting to the sum of N673 million from the Lagos State House of Assembly without going through a financial institution, thereby committed an offence contrary to sections 18a of the Money Laundering Act 2011

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