Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mr Adeyemi Ikuforiji, yesterday, faulted the preliminary objection by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, against his motion to quash the charges against him before a Federal High Court, Lagos.

In his reply on points of law to EFCC’s objection, Ikuforiji contended that the argument by EFCC in support of its objection, was misconceived and not supported by law.

Ikuforiji and his Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi, are facing a 21-count charge of money laundering and fraud.

Ikuforiji and Atoyebi had separately asked the court to quash the charges against them.

But the EFCC had in a preliminary objection, argued that under Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Act, CPA, such an objection to the charges ought to have been raised immediately after the charges were read to the accused persons.

The Speaker, through his counsel, argued that Section 167 of the CPA relied upon by the EFCC only deals with formal defects on the face of the charge, adding that the motion to quash the charge was basically a challenge to the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to adjudicate on the case against the accused persons under Section 1 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011.