Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos has fixed
February 18-21, 2013, for continuation of trial in the money
laundering charge preferred against the Speaker of the Lagos State
House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his personal assistant,
Oyebode Alade Atoyebi by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC).
At the resumed hearing today, Adebayo Adeniyi, an operative of the
EFCC, told the court that during the investigation, it was discovered
that cash payments above the approved limit in the House of Assembly
were made to or given to the first accused, Mr. Ikuforiji through Mr.
Atoyebi, the second. He further told the court that the second accused
person admitted collecting cash payment son behalf of the 1st accused.
The revelations were made by Mr. Adeniyi while being led in evidence
by the prosecution counsel, Godwin Obla. Adeniyi said his team
recovered some registers from the Account Department of the Lagos
State House of Assembly. The names of the registers were WEMA
register, ETB register, Bulk Register and Chico Registers.
The registers, he explained, were used for financial transactions by
the Account Department of the House of Assembly, and showed the
signatures, names of recipients, date, amount and mode of payments,
such as cash or cheques.
The documents were admitted by the court as exhibits.
Further examination of the witness could not go on, however, as
original copies of the documents which were already in possession of
the court could not be produced as the keys to the safe were said not
to be available.
Last March, Ikuforiji and his personal assistant were arraigned on 20
counts of allegedly conspiring to commit an illegal act of accepting
cash payments amounting to over N273 million from the House without
going through a financial institution, thereby committing an offence
contrary to sections 18(a) the money laundering (prohibition) Act
2011 and punishable under sections 16(2) (b) of the same act.
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