A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday adjourned the trial of a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, for alleged N338.8 million money laundering.
The case which was earlier fixed for continuation of trial on Nov. 15, could not proceed as Justice Mohammed Liman, who is presidng over the case on a fiat, did not sit.
Justice Liman had been transferred out of the Lagos division but comes from his division to preside over the case following a fiat.
A new date of Nov. 20 was fixed for the case.
Ikuforiji is charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his former Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi.
They are being tried before on a 54 counts charge bordering on alleged N338.8 million money laundering.
They had each pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on an earlier bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.
On March 17, 2021, the EFCC had closed its case after calling the second witness for the prosecution.
Prosecution called a total of two witnesses in support of its case.
Meanwhile, Justice Liman was later transferred out of the Lagos division and the case suffered several set backs.
On May 4, defence counsel Mr Dele Adesina SAN, opened the case for the defence and had began calling witnesses.
Defence called three witnesses, including the first defendant (Ikuforiji).
Among others, Ikuforiji had testified how he was being prosecuted on a faceless petition.
Again, in its verdict, the apex court also upheld the decision of the appellate court and ordered that the case be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for reassignment to another judge.
According to the charge, EFCC alleged that the defendants accepted cash payments above the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act, 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.
Ikuforiji was also accused of using his position to misappropriate funds belonging to the Assembly.
The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011.
The offences, according to the EFCC, contravenes the provisions of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering Act, 2004 and 2011.
