The Lagos State Division of the Federal High Court adjourned until July 18 to continue the trial of a former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, charged with money laundering.

The case, initially fixed for continuation of trial on Monday by noon, could not go on following the absence of the prosecutor, Ekene Iheanacho.

The prosecutor was said to be away for another case at the appeal court.

Meanwhile, the defendants and their counsel were present in court.

The judge eventually called counsel present into chambers.

Journalists gathered in court that the case will now continue on July 18.

Mr Ikuforiji is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his former personal assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.

They are being tried before Justice Mohammed Liman on 54 charges bordering on the offence.

They pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted in 2012 when they were first arraigned.

On March 17, 2021, the EFCC closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution, Adewale Olatunji, a former Lagos House of Assembly clerk.

The prosecution called two witnesses in support of its case.

On May 4, defence counsel Dele Adesina (SAN) opened the case for the defence and began calling witnesses.

The defence has called three witnesses so far, including the first defendant (Mr Ikuforiji).

Among others, Mr Ikuforiji testified that he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.

He had told the court that the instant case arose from a petition written by an unknown person, alleging that he had stolen about N7 billion from the Lagos House of Assembly.

However, The court adjourned the case to address the admissibility of documentary evidence tendered from the bar by defence counsel.

The trial will now resume on July 18.

The defendants were first arraigned on March 1, 2012, before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on a 20-count charge bordering on misappropriation and money laundering.

They had each pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail.

The defendants were, however, subsequently re-arraigned before Justice Ibrahim Buba following reassignment of the case.

Mr Buba had granted them bail for N500 million each with sureties.

On September 26, 2014, Justice Buba discharged Mr Ikuforiji and his aide of the charges after upholding a no-case submission of the defendants.

Mr Buba had held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC, through its counsel, Godwin Obla (SAN), filed the Notice of Appeal dated September 30, 2014, challenging the trial court’s decision.

Mr Obla had argued that the trial court erred in law when it held that the counts were incompetent because they were filed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, which was repealed by an Act of 2011.

In its judgement, the Lagos Division of the Appeal Court, in November 2016, agreed with the prosecution and ordered a fresh trial of the defendants before another judge.

Following the decision of the Appeal Court, the defendants headed for the Supreme Court, seeking to upturn the Appellate court ruling.

Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the appellate court’s decision and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold the Money Laundering Act set, without going through a financial institution.

The commission accused the defendants of conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments in the aggregate sum of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

Mr Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

The EFCC said the defendants committed the offence between April 2010 and July 2011.

According to the EFCC, the offence contravenes sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of the Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011. 

(NAN)