By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday closed its case in the trial of former Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji and his Personal Assistant Oyebode Atoyebi in an alleged money laundering charge, after calling its second and last witness Adewale Taiwo Olatunji.
The two defendants are standing trial before Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on 54 counts charge bordering on the alleged offences.
Following the closing of the prosecution’s case, the defendants will on March 24, open their defence.
When the defendants were arraigned last December, before the trial judge, Justice Liman, they had pleaded not guilty and were allowed to continue on a N500 million bail granted to them in 2012 when they were first arraigned.
At the resumed trial of the defendants on Wednesday, the prosecution counsel Ekene Iheanacho told the court that he has one witness in court to testify, adding that subject to the court’s convenience, he was ready to go on. Equally, the defence counsel Dele Adesina said that he was ready.
Led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mr Ekene Iheanacho, the witness, Olatunji, identified himself as a retiree and former clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly (HoA).
Olatunji, 70, identified the former speaker and his personal assistant in the dock.
He recalled receiving two letters from the EFCC; the first was on the Anti-graft 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 the House to co-operate with them and give them what they required,” Olatunji said, adding that he later honoured the invitation at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja.
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 court.
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.
Iheanacho: “Who approved payments in the exhibits?
Olatunji: “The Speaker had power to approve. Speaker approved all expenditures above N50,000. The Honourable Adeyemi Ikuforiji was the Speaker at the time.”
Iheanacho: “That’s all for the witness.”
During cross examination by Adesina, the witness summarised his testimony.
Adesina: “All you’ve said concerning the first defendant is that he was the speaker and approving authority.
Witness: “Yes.”
Adesina: “The banks you mentioned, did they have branches within Alausa?
Witness: “I wouldn’t know.
Adesina: “The House of Assembly and state secretariat are in same vicinity of Alausa?”
Witness: “Yes”.
Adesina: “You made a statement in respect of this matter with the EFCC?
Witness: “Yes.”
Adesina: “That will be all for this witness.”
Thereafter, Adesina applied for a short date to either file a ‘no case’ submission or open defence.
Following the application, Justice granted Dele Adesina (SAN) application for a short date to either open defence or file a no-case submission and fix March 24 for the case.
Recall that Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had discharged both men of the same allegations in 2015 on the ground that they had no case to answer.
But the lower court’s decision was reversed by the Supreme Court, following which Ikuforiji and Atoyebi were last December 11 re-arraigned by the EFCC before Justice Liman.
In the new charge dated June 4, 2013, the EFCC filed 56-counts against the former speaker and his aide.
It alleges that Ikuforiji and Atoyebi between April 2010 and August 2011 conspired to commit an illegal act, to wit, accepting various cash payments amounting to the sum of N673milloon from the Lagos State House of Assembly without going through a financial institution, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering Act 2011.