Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court in Lagos, Nigeria has acquitted former Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, of all 54 counts of money laundering.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had charged Ikuforiji and Atoyebi with laundering N338.8 million. They were accused of accepting cash payments beyond the threshold set by the Money Laundering Act without routing through financial institutions between April 2010 and July 2011.
The court ruled that the prosecution failed to meet the burden of proof. Justice Liman noted discrepancies in the timeline and highlighted the absence of evidence linking the accused to the predicate offence necessary for money laundering charges.
Originally arraigned in 2012, the defendants were re-arraigned after an appeal in 2016. The Supreme Court later upheld the decision for a retrial. Despite multiple court appearances, the case faced numerous delays and setbacks.
Justice Liman’s judgment emphasized the importance of proving intent and actual money laundering activities beyond reasonable doubt. The ruling discharges Ikuforiji and Atoyebi from all charges.
The EFCC had argued that the charges were improperly applied under outdated legislation. The defense contended that the allegations stemmed from a baseless petition and lacked substantive evidence.
Ikuforiji testified about the origins of the case, describing it as stemming from an unfounded claim that he misappropriated N7 billion from the Lagos Assembly.
