LAGOS — An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, witness, Mr. Adebayo Adeniji, yesterday, told a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, that several cash registers were recovered from the accounts department of the Lagos House of Assembly, confirming the alleged money laundering charges against Speaker of the House, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.
Adeniji is an Investigating Officer with EFCC. Ikuforiji and his personal assistant, Mr. Alade Atoyebi are facing a 20-count charge of alleged money laundering.
The accused persons were alleged to have conspired between April 2010 and July 2011, to commit an illegal act of accepting cash payments amounting to N273.3 million from the Lagos State House of Assembly without going through a financial institution.
Ikuforiji was alleged to have misappropriated about N500 million of the House’s funds, an offence which contravened Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011.
Mr. Godwin Obla, the prosecutor, led the witness, at the resumed hearing in the matter, yesterday.
The witness, Adeniji in his testimony, told the court that that more documents had been recovered from the House.
The case is before Justice Okechukwu Okeke. The witness said that since he was given the responsibility of gathering documents relating to the alleged offence, he had embarked on a thorough investigation in the House, with other officers of EFCC.
He told the court that some of the documents recovered were a Wema Bank Plc cash register, and an Equatorial Trust Bank, ETB cash register, which was recovered from the accounts department of the House, and another register boldly written “Chiko” cash register, which was recovered from the cash office of the House.
The documents were admitted as exhibits by the court.
Meanwhile, further hearing had been adjourned till Febru- ary 18, 19, 20, and 21, 2013.
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