A Federal High Court in Lagos has fixed Dec. 11, for re-arraignment of a former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, charged with alleged laundering of N338.8 million.
Ikuforiji was charged alongside his former aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, on 54 counts.
They were initially charged before Justice Okechukwu Okeke on March 1,2012 on a 20 count charge bordering on misappropriation of funds and money laundering . They however pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
The case was reopened two years later and Ikuforiji along his aides were discharged by a Justice Buba.
EFCC counsel ,Godwin Obla (SAN) unhappy with the ruling filed an appeal notice dated September 30,2014 challenging Buba’s ruling.
The Lagos Division Court of Appeal upheld the appeal and ordered a retrial before another judge.
This decision was further challenged by the defendants through the supreme court .
The supreme court however upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal and ordered that the case should be sent back to the chief judge of the Federal High Court for assignment to another judge.
The trial is now to begin afresh before Justice Mohammed Liman.
The EFCC said that the defendants committed the offences between April 2010 and July 2011, in contravention of Sections 15 (1d), 16(1d) and 18 of Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011.
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