A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday turned down an application by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, to quash a 20-count charge of money luandering preferred against him and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
The corut then fixed trial for October 24, 2012.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants had sometime between April 2010 and July 2011 conspired and accepted various cash payments amounting to N503 million from the House without going through a financial institution.
Ikuforiji and his aide were initially charged before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court in December 2011, but the judge later opted out of the case.
The case was re-assigned to another judge in the court, Justice Okechukwu Okeke.
The accused person’s lawyers, Abiodun Onidare and Tunde Akinrimisi led by Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), had urged the court to quash charge on the ground that it arose from a transaction executed on behalf of the house of assembly in Ikuforiji’s capacity as the speaker.
The lawyers had described the speaker as “quasi-government,” since the action which formed the basis of the charge was carried out on behalf of the State House of Assembly, a tier of the Lagos State government.
His lawyers further argued that an attempt to prosecute Ikuforiji amounted to constitutional impossibility of prosecuting the government itself.
However, the Economic and Financial Crimes, EFCC, prosecuting lawyer, Chief Godwin Obla, said Ikuforiji should strive to clear his name by giving evidence to prove his innocence during the trial.
Obla then urged the court to discountenance the argument canvassed by the defence counsel and dismiss the application that the charge be quashed.
