Court adjourns ex-Lagos Assembly speaker, Ikuforiji’s money laundering trial to July 17

Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Friday adjourned till July 17 the trial of a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, for alleged money laundering.

The judge fixed the date after the court could not continue with the proceeding hearing on Friday.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the former speaker alongside his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi on a 54-count charge of money laundering.

The commission alleged that the defendants conspired to accept cash payments of N338.8 million from the House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.

The EFCC also accused Ikuforiji of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.

READ ALSO: Ex-Lagos Speaker Ikuforiji fails at S’Court, to face retrial in alleged N388m fraud

It added that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011.

The offences, according to the EFCC, contravene the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d), and 18 of the Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012.

The commission on March 17, 2021, closed its case after the former Clerk of the Lagos House of Assembly, Olatunji, Adewale, testified on the matter.

The prosecution called two other witnesses in support of its case.

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